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The boycott in [[Limerick]] in the first decade of the twentieth century is known as the '''Limerick Pogrom'' |
The boycott in [[Limerick]] in the first decade of the twentieth century is known as the '''''Limerick Pogrom''''', and caused many Jews to leave the city. It was instigated in 1904 by a young Catholic priest, Father [[John Creagh]], of the [[Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer|Redemptorist]] order who delivered a fiery sermon castigating Jews for their rejection of Christ, being usurers<ref name="keogh26-30">Keogh (1998), pps. 26–30</ref> and allies of the [[Freemasons]], taking over the local economy, selling shoddy goods at inflated prices, to be paid for in installments. He urged Catholics "not to deal with the Jews."<ref name="keogh26-30"/> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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==Events== |
==Events== |
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After hearing Fr Creagh’s sermon John Raleigh, a teenager was arrested and briefly imprisoned for attacking the Jews' [[rebbe]], leader. Once released he returned home to a welcoming throng. Later, after eighty Jews had been driven from their homes, Creagh was disowned by his superiors saying that: ''religious persecution had no place in Ireland.''<ref>Fisk, (1985), p. 430–431</ref> The Limerick Pogrom was the economic boycott waged against the small Jewish community for over two years. [[Dermot Keogh|Keogh]] suggests the name derives from their previous Lithuanian experience even though no one was killed or seriously injured.<ref name="keogh26-30"/> Limerick's [[Protestant]] community, many of whom were also traders, supported the Jews throughout the pogrom, but ultimately Limerick's Jews fled the city.<ref>''Shalom Ireland: a Social History of Jews in Modern Ireland'' by Ray Rivlin, ISBN 0-7171-3634-5, published by Gill & MacMillan</ref> Many went to [[Cork (city)|Cork]], intending to embark on ships from [[Cobh]] to travel to [[United States|America]]. |
After hearing Fr Creagh’s sermon John Raleigh, a teenager was arrested and briefly imprisoned for attacking the Jews' [[rebbe]], leader. Once released he returned home to a welcoming throng. Later, after eighty Jews had been driven from their homes, Creagh was disowned by his superiors saying that: ''religious persecution had no place in Ireland.''<ref>Fisk, (1985), p. 430–431</ref> The Limerick Pogrom was the economic boycott waged against the small Jewish community for over two years. [[Dermot Keogh|Keogh]] suggests the name derives from their previous Lithuanian experience even though no one was killed or seriously injured.<ref name="keogh26-30"/> Limerick's [[Protestant]] community, many of whom were also traders, supported the Jews throughout the pogrom, but ultimately Limerick's Jews fled the city.<ref>''Shalom Ireland: a Social History of Jews in Modern Ireland'' by Ray Rivlin, ISBN 0-7171-3634-5, published by Gill & MacMillan</ref> Many went to [[Cork (city)|Cork]], intending to embark on ships from [[Cobh]] to travel to [[United States|America]]. |
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==Aftermath== |
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The people of Cork welcomed them into their homes. Church halls were opened for the refugees, many of whom remained. [[Gerald Goldberg]], a son of this migration, became [[Lord Mayor of Cork]] in 1977,<ref>{{cite web |title=Provosts, Mayors and Lord Mayors of Cork |publisher=[[Cork County Council]] |url =http://www.corkcity.ie/yourcouncil/mayorsofcork/ |accessdate=2010-09-30 }}</ref> and the Marcus brothers, [[David Marcus|David]] and Louis, grandchildren of the pogrom, would become hugely influential in Irish literature and Irish film, respectively.<ref>{{cite web | last = Raferty | first = John | title = Oughtobiography by David Marcus | publisher = [[RTÉ]] | date = 2001-09-27 | url = http://www.rte.ie/arts/2001/0927/oughtobiography.html | accessdate = 2008-08-05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = de Valera | first = Síle | authorlink = Síle de Valera | title = Louis Marcus resigns as Film Board Chairman | work = Press Release | publisher = Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism| 1999-11-03 | date = | url = http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=558 | accessdate = 2008-08-05 }}</ref> The boycott was condemned by many in Ireland, among them the influential [[Standish James O'Grady|Standish O'Grady]] in his paper ''All Ireland Review'', depicting Jews and Irish as "brothers in a common struggle". The Land Leaguer Michael Davitt (author of ''The True Story of Anti-Semitic Persecutions in Russia''), in the ''Freeman's Journal'', attacked those who had participated in the riots and visited homes of Jewish victims in Limerick.<ref>James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Construction of Jewish Identity by Neil R. Davison, p. 37, published by Cambridge University Press, 1998, ISBN 978-0-521-63620-9</ref> His friend, Corkman [[William O'Brien]] MP, leader of the [[United Irish League]] and editor of the ''Irish People'', had a Jewish wife, Sophie Raffalovic. |
The people of Cork welcomed them into their homes. Church halls were opened for the refugees, many of whom remained. [[Gerald Goldberg]], a son of this migration, became [[Lord Mayor of Cork]] in 1977,<ref>{{cite web |title=Provosts, Mayors and Lord Mayors of Cork |publisher=[[Cork County Council]] |url =http://www.corkcity.ie/yourcouncil/mayorsofcork/ |accessdate=2010-09-30 }}</ref> and the Marcus brothers, [[David Marcus|David]] and Louis, grandchildren of the pogrom, would become hugely influential in Irish literature and Irish film, respectively.<ref>{{cite web | last = Raferty | first = John | title = Oughtobiography by David Marcus | publisher = [[RTÉ]] | date = 2001-09-27 | url = http://www.rte.ie/arts/2001/0927/oughtobiography.html | accessdate = 2008-08-05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = de Valera | first = Síle | authorlink = Síle de Valera | title = Louis Marcus resigns as Film Board Chairman | work = Press Release | publisher = Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism| 1999-11-03 | date = | url = http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie/publications/release.asp?ID=558 | accessdate = 2008-08-05 }}</ref> The boycott was condemned by many in Ireland, among them the influential [[Standish James O'Grady|Standish O'Grady]] in his paper ''All Ireland Review'', depicting Jews and Irish as "brothers in a common struggle". The Land Leaguer Michael Davitt (author of ''The True Story of Anti-Semitic Persecutions in Russia''), in the ''Freeman's Journal'', attacked those who had participated in the riots and visited homes of Jewish victims in Limerick.<ref>James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Construction of Jewish Identity by Neil R. Davison, p. 37, published by Cambridge University Press, 1998, ISBN 978-0-521-63620-9</ref> His friend, Corkman [[William O'Brien]] MP, leader of the [[United Irish League]] and editor of the ''Irish People'', had a Jewish wife, Sophie Raffalovic. Father Creagh was moved by his superiors initially to Belfast and then to an island in the Pacific Ocean. In 1914 he was promoted by the Pope to be Vicar Apostolic of Kimberley, Western Australia, a position he held until 1922.<ref>http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcreagh.html</ref> He died in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]] in 1947. |
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Father Creagh was moved by his superiors initially to Belfast and then to an island in the Pacific Ocean. In 1914 he was promoted by the Pope to be Vicar Apostolic of Kimberley, Western Australia, a position he held until 1922.<ref>http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcreagh.html</ref> He died in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]] in 1947. |
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Since 1983, several commentators have questioned the traditional narrative of the event, and especially whether the event's description as a ''pogrom'' is appropriate.<ref name=Magill>[http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/jews%20of%20limerick%2051.pdf Magill Magazine] Issue 1, 2008, 46-47</ref><ref>[[Limerick Leader]], Saturday 6 November 2010, Jewish envoy says Limerick pogrom is 'over-portrayed'</ref> Historian [[Dermot Keogh]] sympathized with the use of the term by the Jews who experienced the event, and respected its use by subsequent writers, but preferred the term "boycott".<ref>Keogh (1998), p. 26</ref><ref>Keogh (2005), pp. xv-xvi.</ref> |
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==Terminology== |
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Since 1983, several commentators have questioned the traditional narrative of the event, and especially whether the event's [[Definitions of Pogrom|description as a pogrom]] is appropriate.<ref name=Magill>[http://www.limerickcity.ie/media/jews%20of%20limerick%2051.pdf Magill Magazine] Issue 1, 2008, 46-47</ref> Historian [[Dermot Keogh]] wrote that "it is variously described in the literature of Limerick history as an economic boycott and a pogrom". Keogh sympathized with the use of the term by the Jews who experienced the event, writing "based on their experiences in Lithuania, the word pogrom came immediately to the lips of Limerick's Jews", but preferred the term "Limerick Boycott".<ref>In his James S. Donnelly Sr. Prize winning book ''Jews in Twentieth Century Ireland: Refugees, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust'' (1998), [[Dermot Keogh]] questions, given that there were no deaths or serious injuries, whether these events should be described as a "pogrom". He notes that various writers have described them that way, and states on p26: "... based on their experiences in Lithuania, the word pogrom came immediately to the lips of Limerick's Jews when they found themselves under attack in January 1904. Those fears must further be seen in the context of a country which was overwhelmingly Christian." In his later book ''Limerick Boycott 1904: Anti-Semitism in Ireland'' (2005), Keogh asks the same question, writing "A final vexatious question persists: did the events in Limerick constitute a 'pogrom '? It is variously described in the literature of Limerick history as an economic boycott and a pogrom" (pp. xv-xvi). He cites [[Thomas Morrissey]], who titles a section in his biography of Bishop [[Edward Thomas O'Dwyer]] "The Jewish Boycott", but also "acknowledges in his conclusion that in the minds of Limerick's Jews, it was the 'Limerick Pogrom'." Keogh concludes: "Ultimately, of course, it is for the reader to judge whether the events should be viewed as a boycott or a pogrom … The fact that we have chosen to entitle the book 'Limerick Boycott 1904' will indicate our preference, but nothing can detract from the terror experienced by the Jews of Limerick on the evening of Fr Creagh's first sermon."(pp. xv-xvi)</ref> Other commentators who have disagreed with the application of the word pogrom include Father Michael Baily, writing in the Irish Times in 1984, who described term as "emotive" and as a "misnomer for minor disturbances".<ref>Irish Times, 3 August 1984, quoted in Racism and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland, By Bryan Fanning, p71</ref> and the [[Ireland–Israel relations|Israeli ambassador to Ireland]] in 2010.<ref>[[Limerick Leader]], Saturday 6 November 2010, Jewish envoy says Limerick pogrom is 'over-portrayed': Boaz Moda'i stated "I think it is a bit over-portrayed, meaning that, usually if you look up the word pogrom it is used in relation to slaughter and being killed. This is what happened in many other places in Europe, but that is not what happened here. There was a kind of boycott against Jewish merchandise for a while but that’s not a pogrom."</ref> |
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==Footnotes== |
==Footnotes== |
Revision as of 22:16, 3 March 2013
The boycott in Limerick in the first decade of the twentieth century is known as the Limerick Pogrom, and caused many Jews to leave the city. It was instigated in 1904 by a young Catholic priest, Father John Creagh, of the Redemptorist order who delivered a fiery sermon castigating Jews for their rejection of Christ, being usurers[1] and allies of the Freemasons, taking over the local economy, selling shoddy goods at inflated prices, to be paid for in installments. He urged Catholics "not to deal with the Jews."[1]
Background
Census returns record one Jew in Limerick in 1861. This doubled by 1871 and doubled again by 1881. Increases to 35, 90 and 130 are shown for 1888, 1892, and 1896 respectively.[2] A small number of Lithuanian Jewish tradespeople, fleeing persecution in their homeland, began arriving in Limerick in 1878. They initially formed an accepted part of the city's retail trade, centred on Collooney St.[3] The community established a synagogue and a cemetery in the 1880s. Easter Sunday of 1884 saw the first of what were to be a series of sporadic violent antisemitic attacks and protests. The wife of Lieb Siev and his child were injured by stones and her house damaged by an angry crowd for which the ringleaders were sentenced to hard labour for a month.[4] In 1892 two families were beaten and a stoning took place on November 24, 1896.[4] Many details about Limerick's Jewish families are recorded in the 1901 census that shows most were peddlers, though a few were described as drapery dealers and grocers.[5]
Events
After hearing Fr Creagh’s sermon John Raleigh, a teenager was arrested and briefly imprisoned for attacking the Jews' rebbe, leader. Once released he returned home to a welcoming throng. Later, after eighty Jews had been driven from their homes, Creagh was disowned by his superiors saying that: religious persecution had no place in Ireland.[6] The Limerick Pogrom was the economic boycott waged against the small Jewish community for over two years. Keogh suggests the name derives from their previous Lithuanian experience even though no one was killed or seriously injured.[1] Limerick's Protestant community, many of whom were also traders, supported the Jews throughout the pogrom, but ultimately Limerick's Jews fled the city.[7] Many went to Cork, intending to embark on ships from Cobh to travel to America.
Aftermath
The people of Cork welcomed them into their homes. Church halls were opened for the refugees, many of whom remained. Gerald Goldberg, a son of this migration, became Lord Mayor of Cork in 1977,[8] and the Marcus brothers, David and Louis, grandchildren of the pogrom, would become hugely influential in Irish literature and Irish film, respectively.[9][10] The boycott was condemned by many in Ireland, among them the influential Standish O'Grady in his paper All Ireland Review, depicting Jews and Irish as "brothers in a common struggle". The Land Leaguer Michael Davitt (author of The True Story of Anti-Semitic Persecutions in Russia), in the Freeman's Journal, attacked those who had participated in the riots and visited homes of Jewish victims in Limerick.[11] His friend, Corkman William O'Brien MP, leader of the United Irish League and editor of the Irish People, had a Jewish wife, Sophie Raffalovic. Father Creagh was moved by his superiors initially to Belfast and then to an island in the Pacific Ocean. In 1914 he was promoted by the Pope to be Vicar Apostolic of Kimberley, Western Australia, a position he held until 1922.[12] He died in Wellington, New Zealand in 1947.
Since 1983, several commentators have questioned the traditional narrative of the event, and especially whether the event's description as a pogrom is appropriate.[13][14] Historian Dermot Keogh sympathized with the use of the term by the Jews who experienced the event, and respected its use by subsequent writers, but preferred the term "boycott".[15][16]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c Keogh (1998), pps. 26–30
- ^ Keogh (1998), p. 11
- ^ Keogh (1998), p. 31
- ^ a b Keogh (1998), p. 19
- ^ Keogh (1998), pps. 12–14
- ^ Fisk, (1985), p. 430–431
- ^ Shalom Ireland: a Social History of Jews in Modern Ireland by Ray Rivlin, ISBN 0-7171-3634-5, published by Gill & MacMillan
- ^ "Provosts, Mayors and Lord Mayors of Cork". Cork County Council. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
- ^ Raferty, John (2001-09-27). "Oughtobiography by David Marcus". RTÉ. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
- ^ de Valera, Síle. "Louis Marcus resigns as Film Board Chairman". Press Release. Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
{{cite web}}
: Text "1999-11-03" ignored (help) - ^ James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Construction of Jewish Identity by Neil R. Davison, p. 37, published by Cambridge University Press, 1998, ISBN 978-0-521-63620-9
- ^ http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcreagh.html
- ^ Magill Magazine Issue 1, 2008, 46-47
- ^ Limerick Leader, Saturday 6 November 2010, Jewish envoy says Limerick pogrom is 'over-portrayed'
- ^ Keogh (1998), p. 26
- ^ Keogh (2005), pp. xv-xvi.
References
- Fisk, Robert. In Time of War, Paladin: London, 1985. ISBN 0-586-08498-3
- Keogh, Dermot. Jews in Twentieth-Century Ireland, Cork; Cork University Press, 1998. ISBN 1-85918-150-3
- Keogh, Dermot, McCarthy, Andrew. Limerick Boycott 1904: Anti-Semitism in Ireland, Mercier Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1-85635-453-0