Eleven thousand refugees have provided work for 15,000 Britons, Home Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare declared last night in addressing a public meeting of the Society for the Protection of Science and Learning. Sir Samuel asserted that many refugees, especially in the earlier days of the exodus from Germany, had brought substantial capital, skill and knowledge of foreign manufacturing processes to this country. He said special areas had particularly benefited from new factories they had established, the most important of which produced toys, leather goods and ladies’ dresses.
Turning to contributions made by refugee scholars and scientists to British life, Sir Samuel declared there was no reason why they could not make England the intellectual center of the world. He paid warm tribute to Jewish scientists, thinkers and musicians who, he said, “helped keep alight the lamp of learning, brightening the lives of countless sufferers from such plagues of humanity as cholera, cancer, typhus and syphilis, giving brilliance to nineteenth century music and adding a glow to twentieth century philosophy.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
