"Children first": the place of children in British Jewish humanitarianism (1881-1940)

本文旨在探讨从1881年俄国爆发反犹太人大屠杀到1940年儿童运输结束这一时期，儿童在英国犹太人道主义中的地位。尽管英国在塑造国际秩序方面发挥了重要作用，但英国犹太人在人道主义历史上的行为迄今并未引起学术界的太多关注。阿比盖尔·格林的作品是例外，他关注的是英国慈善家摩西·蒙特菲奥里爵士的行为(2010年)和托德·埃德尔曼关于英国犹太人历史的作品(2002年)。然而，在这一时期的英国犹太人道主义中，没有一部作品深入探讨儿童在其中的地位。因此，本论文旨在通过这一视角来探索英国犹太人的历史，以填补这一知识空白。可能的研究问题是：1)从1881年俄国大屠杀开始到1940年，儿童在多大程度上是英国犹太人道主义的核心？2)在这一时期可以观察到哪些演变？3)第一次世界大战和1933年希特勒上台对英国犹太人道主义对儿童的影响是什么？儿童，而不是任何其他人口群体，是这个项目的核心，因为他们被认为是人道主义领域的一个特别脆弱的群体，因此需要特别关注。到目前为止，学者们主要关注犹太人和非犹太人个人和组织在大屠杀期间拯救犹太儿童方面的作用。然而，正如前面提到的，没有一部先前存在的作品深入探讨了它们在这一时期英国犹太人道主义中的地位。因此，本文旨在从更长远的角度研究英国犹太儿童人道主义的演变，并分析战争和希特勒上台等重大事件对儿童人道主义的影响。它还将试图了解，儿童是否一直处于犹太人道主义的核心，或者这是否是最近的演变。为了回答研究问题，本工作将主要采用定性的方法。它将依赖于各种各样的档案来源，如救援组织的报告和行政记录、信件、报纸和回忆录。为了避免仅仅从成人和机构的角度来写历史，将使用同时代的儿童资料，如日记、图画和信件。除了以档案为基础的定性工作外，该项目还将使用口述历史。在越来越多生活在20世纪30年代和第二次世界大战期间的人消失之际，收集他们的最后证词尤为重要。因此，将与个别被遣返的儿童以及犹太难民协会的前难民进行面谈。该项目的这一方面特别重要，因为奖学金的第一年恰逢儿童运输85周年，第二年计划在伦敦开放大屠杀纪念碑。因此，这项研究处于不同学术领域的十字路口，即英国犹太史、人道主义史和儿童史。这是AHRC资助的项目“犹太乡村住宅”的一部分，该项目由牛津大学的阿比盖尔·格林教授领导，他负责指导这篇论文。这项工作的一部分也将在Jenny Carson博士的共同监督下在大屠杀教育信托基金(伦敦)进行。因此，有可能将这一研究项目扩展到第二次世界大战和第二次世界大战后时期，以便更好地为大屠杀教育信托基金的活动服务。也可以将其与法国等其他国家相提并论，因为犹太人道主义的历史本质上是跨国的和相互关联的。

This thesis seeks to explore the place of children in British Jewish humanitarianism from 1881, with the outbreak of anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia, to the end of the Kindertransport in 1940. Despite the major role Britain played in shaping the international order, the actions of British Jews in the history of humanitarianism have not to date attracted much scholarly attention. Exceptions are the works of Abigail Green focusing on the actions of British philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore (2010) and Todd Edelman about the history of British Jews (2002). However, none of the pre-existing works focus in depth on the place of children in British Jewish humanitarianism over this period. This thesis therefore aims to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the history of British Jews through this lens. Possible research questions are:1) To what extent were children at the heart of British Jewish humanitarianism from the beginning of the Russian pogroms in 1881 until 1940? 2) Which evolutions can be observed during this period?3) What were the impacts of the First World War and Hitler's rise to power in 1933 on British Jewish humanitarianism towards children?Children, rather than any other population group, are at the heart of this project as they are considered as a particularly vulnerable population in the humanitarian field and therefore require special attention. Until now, scholars have focused mainly on the role of Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and organisations in the rescue of Jewish children during the Holocaust. However, as previously mentioned, none of the pre-existing works focus in depth on their place in British Jewish humanitarianism over such a period. By taking a longer view, this thesis therefore aims to study the evolutions of British Jewish humanitarianism towards children and to analyse the impacts that major events, such as wars and Hitler's rise to power, had on it. It will also seek to understand if children have always been at the core of Jewish humanitarianism, or if it is rather a recent evolution. To answer the research questions, this work will use mainly qualitative methodology. It will rely on a wide variety of archival sources such as, reports and administrative records of relief organisations, correspondence, newspapers, and memoirs. To avoid writing a history solely from the perspective of adults and institutions, contemporaneous children's sources, such as diaries, drawings, and letters, will be used. In addition to the qualitative work based on archives, the project will also use oral history. At a time when more and more people who lived during the 1930s and the Second World War are disappearing, it is particularly important to gather their last testimonies. Interviews will therefore be conducted with individual Kindertransportees, as well as with former refugees from the Association of Jewish Refugees. This aspect of the project is particularly relevant as the first year of the scholarship coincides with the 85th anniversary of the Kindertransport, and the second with the planned opening of the Holocaust Memorial in London. This research therefore lies at the crossroads of different academic fields, namely, British Jewish history, the history of humanitarianism and the history of childhood. It is part of the AHRC-funded project "Jewish Country Houses" led by Professor Abigail Green at the University of Oxford who supervises this thesis. Part of this work will also take place at the Holocaust Educational Trust (London) under the co-supervision of Dr Jenny Carson. It will thus be possible to extend this research project to World War Two and post-World War Two period to better serve the activities of the Holocaust Educational Trust. Parallels could also be drawn with other countries, such as France, as the history of Jewish humanitarianism is intrinsically transnational and connected.