Jewish Anarchism in the East End: A club, a newspaper and three visionaries

A group of progressive Jewish thinkers, who came to England in the late 1800s to flee persecution, helped to unionize the East End’s biggest trades

In the early 19th century, many Jews arrived in the East End to flee persecution and discrimination in the rest of Europe, bringing with them a mindset that challenged traditional schools of political thought. 

Many disembarked in St Katharine’s Dock, Wapping or Tilbury, with little or no possessions, and settled around nearby Brick Lane. Between 1880 and 1905 Whitechapel and part of Spitalfields were transformed into a Jewish zone. 

Among Jews in Eastern Europe, there was a long and powerful tradition of political radicalism and trade unionism. During the migrations of this era, this was evolving into a strong socialist movement.

As a result, a lively and active socialist and trade unionist scene was to grow in the East End, especially in Whitechapel and Spitalfields. It was strongest in the trades dominated by Jewish migrants – in tailoring, bootmaking and baking. 

A key player in the Jewish anarchist movement was Rudolf Rocker. He was born in Germany, and not Jewish himself. However, he learned Yiddish and became a key figure in the Jewish labour movement when he moved to London’s East End in 1895. 

Rocker spent 20 years working at the Yiddish anarchist newspaper ‘Arbeter Fraynd’ (Worker’s Friend) as well as the Workers Friends Club, and played a significant role in organising Jewish immigrant workers. 

Many Jewish immigrants lived in poverty. Socialism and anarchism promised an end to economic inequality and exploitation.

The Jewish Anarchist Club AKA Workers’ Friend Group 

The Jewish Anarchist Club fought to improve working conditions including shorter working days. 

They helped to build unions such as the Tailors’ Union, the Hebrew Cabinet Makers’ Society, and the United Cap Makers’ Society. All of these unions are related to crafts trades, and were mainly fighting against the sweatshop systems and conditions that Jews of the time had to work under. 

Associated with the Yiddish-language anarchist newspaper Arbeter Fraint (Worker’s Friend) and led by Rudolf Rocker, the group operated a social centre known as the Worker’s Friend Club on Jubilee Street from 1906 to 1915. 

The club hosted a range of cultural events, including concerts, performances, and lectures on political, scientific, and literary subjects. 

The opening night, on 3 February 1906, was packed – hundreds attended, and large numbers were locked out as there was no more room. 

‘Almost every Jewish trade union in the country had sent us messages of congratulation. 

‘There were also messages from Malatesta, Louise Michel and Tarrida del Marmol. I was reading out the messages when a storm of cheering and clapping cut me short. Peter Kropotkin had arrived. His doctors had warned him not to appear at any more public gatherings, because of his heart. But this was an occasion from which he felt he must not stay away. I begged him not to speak. He waved me aside. He spoke for over half an hour…’ said Rudolf Rocker.

Malatesta was an Italian anarchist propagandist and revolutionary socialist,  Louise Michel was a teacher and important figure in the Paris Commune and Tarrida del Marmol was best known for proposing “anarchism without adjectives”, the idea that anarchists should set aside their debates over the most preferable economic systems and acknowledge their commonality in ultimate aims. Peter Kropotkin was a key figure in anarchism at the time, whose literature is still read to this day. A lot of his work can be found at the Freedom Press Bookshop in Whitechapel. 

The club played a central role in the political, social and intellectual life of the Jewish East End for a decade. It had an educational programme including English classes and lectures in history, literature, and sociology and was immensely popular throughout its time. 

The Workers Friend (Arbeiter Freynd) Newspaper 

The Arbeiter Freynd was started in London in 1885 by Morris Winchevsky. Morris Winchevsky, also known as Ben Netz, was a prominent Jewish socialist leader in London and the United States in the late 19th century.

The newspaper ran alongside the club on Jubilee Street and began as a Jewish socialist periodical. They had a printing room inside the social club on Jubilee Street too. 

 It would periodically cease publication due to lack of funds and then start up again. In its reincarnation from 1903, the editor was Rudolf Rocker.

The paper became more anarchistic with the arrival of Saul Yanovsky in 1891. Yanovsky was a Belarussian anarchist who moved to the East End in 1890. 

Yanovsky’s involvement helped shift the newspaper from its socialist roots towards a more explicitly anarchist stance. His contributions were vital in making Arbeter Fraint the most popular radical Yiddish newspaper in London by the early 1900s. It peaked at 5,000 weekly copies in 1905. Arbeter Fraint was published from 1885 to 1915. 

Yanovsky’s efforts, alongside those of Rudolf Rocker, energized the Jewish labour movement in the East End. This fostered a strong sense of solidarity and political activism among Jewish workers.

Rocker’s arrest and the decline of Jewish Anarchism

The Worker’s Friends Group – including both the club and the newspaper – declined after Britain entered World War I. Rising anti-German sentiment and Rocker’s anti-war stance led to his detention, and he never returned to the area.

He called the start of WW1 ‘the contradiction of everything we had fought for’. 

Shortly after the publication of this statement, Rocker was arrested and interned as an enemy alien. This was also the result of the anti-German sentiment in the country. In 1915, the police closed the Arbeter Fraint press and offices. The club also faded without his presence. 

The Jewish anarchist movement in Britain never fully recovered from these blows. 

Rudolf Rocker’s view was that workers who could think for themselves were in a much better position to combat their bosses and escape the clutches of political parties and religious leaders, which exploited the ignorance and apathy of the masses.

Despite the end of the club and newspaper as a result of Rudolf Rocker’s arrest, at the time that they were running, they had a massive influence on the Jewish community and brought about great solidarity in a time of struggle. 

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