Review by Choice Review
In the 20th century, Manchester imaged itself as a liberal city welcoming to "Jews and other foreigners," a hypothesis Williams (Univ. of Manchester, UK) tests in this fascinating study of the city's response to the refugee crisis brought on by fascism. Williams analyzes the various communal, civic, and confessional organizations that sought to assist refugees and describes a city that saved over 9,000 people, mostly Jews, but did so through a combination of self-interest and philanthropy. Williams's analysis details structural constraints that these organizations, which ranged from established institutions such as the University of Manchester to groups created specifically to deal with the crisis, such as the Manchester Jewish Refugee Committee, had to face as they tried to work within the framework of national aid groups and governmental politics. Many of these groups, which included Quakers, Catholics, and Jews, were deeply divided; their motivations, and even whom they wanted to save, shaped not only the process of rescue but the pattern of resettlement. While Williams does not ignore Gentile refugees, such as Basque children escaping the Spanish Civil War, the vast majority of refugees were Jews, and as such, they are the primary focus. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. F. Krome University of Cincinnati--Clermont College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.