Lincoln(shire)/Israel/Jews

The Jewish community of Lincoln, county seat of Lincolnshire, is a small but close-knit community, one of the few in the East Midlands region. Since October 7th, it has seen a sharp uptick in anti-Semitic incidents as in many other British cities, <span;>giving not a little discomfort to the local Jews. These incidents include the usual violent and intimidating pro-“Palestinian” marches by the local “Palestinian” community.

The Jewish community of Lincoln has had to experience anti-Semitic attacks like this from time to time since its founding in the mid-12th century.

The earliest mention of Jews in Lincoln was in 1159, and eventually, it became second in importance only to London. This was during the time when English knights were fighting in the Crusader Wars in the land of Israel. Many of these knights held an ancient hatred towards Jews and upon their return to England, often turned their violence on the Jewish communities, including in Lincoln. But there was one exception – Hugh, Bishop of Avalon, who became a life-long friend of the community. In 1190, he single-handedly saved the Jews of Lincoln from the wrath of the knights. Upon his death, the entire community in the city deeply mourned his passing.

The usual use and abuse of the Jews, by the church and government, as money lenders, resulted in resentment and anger of the local population. It finally led to their expulsion from the country in 1290 along with the other Jewish communities in Britain.

Jews would not be allowed to reside in England again for the next 350 years. During that time, and with the onset of the renaissance, the Bible became very popular among the English gentry. After the defeat of the Crusaders at the end of the 13th century, new neighborhoods sprung up named after Biblical sites in the land of Israel. Among these was the neighborhood of Jerusalem founded just outside of Lincoln. Among the earliest references to this neighborhood was found in documents dating back to 1436. For pilgrims, this Jerusalem was often used as a substitute for the real Jerusalem, especially when the security situation in and around the real Jerusalem became unsafe. Eventually, this pilgrimage would often rival that of the other one. This intense interest and love of the Bible would continue even after Jews were allowed to return to England under Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. Lincoln, however, only became home to short-lived temporary communities for the next 350 years. In 1992, a permanent small community was established and it’s been there, albeit with difficulty, ever since.