By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

When most American Jews think of Yiddish immigrants, the Lower East Side of New York City comes to mind. However, that was not the only city to attract Yiddish masses from Eastern Europe and Germany. As shown in “East End Jews: Sketches from the London Yiddish Press” compiled and translated by Vivi Lachs and Barry Smerin (Wayne University Press), London had an active Yiddish community from the end of the 19th century through the middle of the 20th century. The translators’ interest, though, is less in the history of this period than a highlighting a particular form of writing that they believe offers a glimpse into the daily lives of those immigrants: the feuillenton, which was normally found on page two or three of a Yiddish newspaper under a “strong black line.”
Lach describes feuillentons as sketches that “documented and critiqued Jewish London and, in particular, the urban East End that surrounded the reader. The writers found their material on the streets of Whitechapel, Aldgate, and Stepney. The writers talked to locals and noticed small incidents that made them angry at the injustice or made them laugh at the foolishness. They watched the East End immigrant society’s divisions and warmth, vibrancy and despair, and they responded with opinion and humor, story and satire, exaggeration and poignancy.” Lach sees these stories – sometimes fictional, sometimes taken from real life – as giving readers a break from the news, which, at that time, rarely offered positive stories of Jewish life in Europe. Lach offers a history of the feuillenton, which was first published in France before becoming popular throughout Europe, although that section may be of less interest to Jewish readers whose focus is on Jewish London. 
“East End Jews” is divided into five time periods: “The Golden Years of London Yiddish: 1884-1914,” “Yiddish Through the First World War: 1914-19,” “Interwar Yiddish Culture: 1920-39,” “The Second World War and After: The 1940s” and “Nostalgia and the Decline of the Jewish East End: The 1950s.” Of particular interest to those who know little of the Jewish history of London will be the short essays that open each section and put each period of British history into perspective from a Jewish viewpoint. The work includes a short biography of each featured author, at least those for whom that information is available. Many wrote under a pen name and the translators were unable to identify a small number of them. Most did not make their living writing feuillentons, but rather used them as a way to either supplement their income, gain a name for themselves or just for the fun of writing about the world surrounding them.
The feuillentons are best read a little at a time since the stories are very similar, which makes it hard to remember specific ones. Jewish stereotypes are abundantly on display, particularly the Jew who is always complaining about something. Many of the stories are meant to be humorous, yet reading them from a distance, that’s not always obvious. There seems to be a great sadness underlying many of these lives: the writer or their subjects are often struggling to make a living or to find a place in Britain that feels like home. For example, Yankele’s “An Evil Decree against Flower Sellers” tells of how World War I affected the finances of the poor. The stereotype of the mechanically incompetent Jew is found in “A Jew Takes a Pleasure Trip,” while a whining, pessimistic Jew is the title character in “My Neighbor”; both feuillentons are by Asher Berlin. The problems/attractions of assimilation are discussed in “Solomon Mikhoels, the Man.” The most moving piece is “My Address Book,” a mother’s lament by Katie Brown; the woman, who is unable to read, mourns her inability to write to her three sons who are fighting for the British army.
“East End Jews” offers American Jews the opportunity to see how different and how alike life was for Jewish immigrants to England. Many readers will nod their heads as they recognize universal Jewish traits, along with noting the influence of British culture in other selections. What is clear is that Yiddish culture in London and New York declined over the 20th century as Yiddish was spoken less, with its culture becoming a curiosity more than a lived experience. This book offers the opportunity to explore that culture during and after its heyday.