Jewish League for Woman Suffrage

The Jewish League for Woman Suffrage was formed in 1912. The organisation sought both and political and religious rights for women.

History

When "votes for women" was a major political question in the United Kingdom there was resistance from conservative members of the Jewish community who worried that their involvement might prompt an anti-semitic backlash.[1] On 3 November 1912 Laura and Leonard Franklin formed the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage. It is thought that it was the only Jewish suffrage organisation in the world.[2] It was open to members irrespective of their gender. The organisation's aim was to improve both political and religious rights for women. It was felt that some Jewish people may be more inclined to join this group in preference to an unspecific women's suffrage group. Other members included Edith Ayrton, Inez Bensusan Hugh Franklin, her sister Lily Montagu and her sister Henrietta.[3] Henrietta Franklin was one of the few Jewish women to raise their profile in the suffrage movement.[1] Her sister Lily Montagu led a liberal Jewish movement in Britain and in 1902 they had arranged the first meeting of the Jewish Religious Union for the Advancement of Liberal Judaism at Henrietta Franklin's house.[1] Lily and Henrietta were key members of the league's all female executive. Lily would lead the meetings in prayer and she would in time become a rabbi.[2] Henrietta achieved wider acceptance and became President of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies in 1916.[1]

The organisation was generally moderate but it had radical members. Some disrupted synagogue services to make their point in 1913 and 1914. The organisation was the major Jewish discussion point for two years. Women protesters were ejected from synagogues and they were labelled as "blackguards in bonnets" by the conservative Jewish community.[4] The organisation's campaign caused some synagogues to give equal or partial rights to women inside their own organisation, but changes on a national basis took a lot longer to achieve.[2]

References
  1. "Henrietta Franklin | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  2. "Jewish League for Woman Suffrage | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  3. "Edith Zangwill". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  4. "Jewish League for Woman Suffrage". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
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