Europe.— In Austria, with the dawn of free dom in 1860, followed by the constitution of 1867, the status of the Jews began to improve, several were returned to Parliament and Baron Anselm de Rothschild was made a peer; in 1903 there were three Jewish members of the House of Lords, the brothers Gomperi and Baron von Oppenheimer,. while many are uni versity professors in various lines, with a full quota of journalists, musicians, dramatists, scientists, scholars. Vienna in 1900 had 146,926 Jews, with a large proportion of conversions to Christiahity, 559 in 1900 and 617 in 1904, due doubtless to anti-Semitism in the capital. They form one community, whose receipts in 1903 reached 2,243,449 kronen, expenses 2,147, 506, and which is particularly rich in educa tional and charitable institutions. Belgium has about 14,000, with larger communities at Brus sels and Antwerp. In the latter city they i num ber about 9,000. One of their principal ndus tries is diamond cutting, which occupies about 750. Brussels has an important Jewish com munity, with many charitable societies and rep resentatives in the arts and learned professions. Bohemia imposed some mediaeval exactions as late as 1849, and even in later years there have been occasional Czech outbreaks, but the gen eral prosperity has been uninterrupted. Prague has the largest Jewish community while in about 150 of the smaller towns are included 50,000. In Bosnia 4,000 out of the 7,500 Jews reside in Sarajevo, where many are lawyers, physicians and public officials. Bul garia has 30,000, divided into 35 communities; the largest being Sofia, Rustchuk and Philip polis. Since the Alliance Israelite has opened its trade schools, trading has been supplemented by handicrafts. The general prosperity has been somewhat affected by popular hostility (see JUDAISM - ANTI-SEMITISM) which pro motes emigration to Turkey in Asia. 'Owing to their bravery in saving Sofia from destruction by the Turks in 1877, Prince Alexander decreed in 1879 that the fire brigade should be enrolled exclusively from Jewish citizens, with a place of honor at all processions. Denmark has 3,600 Jews, Copenhagen having the largest commu nity (500), and include varieties of occupation from trade to agrriculture; in the latter calling are landed proprietors and peasants. There are many intermarriages with the non-Jewish popu lation. It is only since 1849 that complete civil and religious liberty was proclaimed.
France, with its 150,000 Jews, of whoni about 100,000 live in Paris, offers an example of practical assimilation, for despite the exist ence of a certain social prejudice, many of them occupy prominent positions in every walk of life, in literature, art, science, law, the army, and in no other country do they include such an array of names known beyond their own country. The patriotism and generosity of the wealthier representatives have done much to strengthen the Jewish status, which has gained morally by the Separation Law. While the Jews of France are conservative, a reform movement has just begun in Paris, whose sup porters are sanguine of success. Paris has an extended number of Jewishs institutions, re ligious, benevolent and educational, with five large synagogues and many smaller ones. In 1912 M. G. Lippman was elected president of the French Academy, Ferdinand David Minis ter of Commerce and M. G. L. Klotz reap pointed Minister of Finance.
Great Britain.— The 175,000 Jews in Lon don, forming the bulk of their number in the British Isles (estimated at 275,000), have at tained the fullest civil and religious liberty, and their favorable condition has resulted in a fair, if not remarkable, display of talent in art, science, literature, the law and political life, while they have done more than their share in colonial expansion. They have held the office
of mayor in a number of cities, including Lon don, have entered Parliament where they be long to different parties, such is their individ uality. Their influence is such that again and again have imposing meetings been held by prominent Christian divines and leaders throughout England to protest against the spirit of persecution in Rumania, Russia and else where. Within the past year or two the ques tion of immigration has aroused much debate and ill-feeling, a new Alien bill was passed, whose real purpose was to check Jewish ar rivals from Russia, not from any anti-Semit ism, but a desire to prevent further overcrowd ing in the east end of London. During the war in South Africa fully 1,000 Jewish soldiers par ticipated. At present S. Alexander is professor of mental philosophy and E. Schuster of physics in the Victoria University, Sir Philip Magnus is one of the chief authorities in tech nical education, Israel Abrahams is reader in rabbinics at Cambridge University, where lately C. Waldstein was Slade professor of fine arts. Solomon Hart, S. J. Solomon and Simeon Solo mon are prominent names in art, while S. L. Lee, I. Gollancz, Claude Montefiore, Israel Zangwill are known in literature. The Jews of England have secured their present status largely because of the vigor with which they fought for their rights, and won public opinion in their favor, while their splendid record in philanthropby with names like the Rotbschilds, the Goldsmiths, the Mocattas, the Montefiores, has done much to add to their fame. In com merce and finance they number a large number of important firms in London, Manchester and Liverpool. The condition of the Russian ele ment in the chief cities is more or less a prob lem, whose solution requires patience and for bearance. The younger element soon becomes English, but the older transplants to English soil the Ghetto atmosphere — a phenomenon which is seen all over the world. In 1902, according to official data, the sum of 1111,639 was spent by London Jewish charities. Of the Russian and Polish Jews in London in 1901, amounting to 28,574 males, 24,863 females, it was found that 24,164 males and 5,358 females earn their own living in a great variety of trades. The Jewish population of Ireland in 1901 was given as 3,771, the bulk residing at Dublin, 2,200; Belfast, 450; Cork, 400. Rus sian immigration is adding steadily to their numbers. Sir Otto Jaffe was lord mayor of Belfast (1899-1900), high sheriff a year later, and is now justice of the peace for that city, and counsel for Germany. Lewis Harris and his son, A. W., were aldermen of Dublin; Trinity College, Dublin, has graduated many Jewish students. Scotland has almost its entire body of Jews in Glasgow and Edinburgh, about 9,000 in all; there are congregations in Dundee, Aberdeen and Greenock Recent immigration has built up the Scotch communities. Glasgow has 7,000 Jews, with three congregations, with several benevolent and educational societies. Two of their representatives are justices of the peace. Herbert Samuel was appointed Post master-General of Great Britain, and Edwin Samuel Montagu member of the cabinet, in 1915; Sir Rufus Isaacs, Lord Chief Justice in 1913, made Lord Reading more recently.