Victor Rothschild, youthful heir and nephew of Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, has disclosed that he was the Jew involved in the first case reported in England of refusal to serve a Jew in a public restaurant.
The heir to the baronetcy told the press that he had entered a roadhouse with a party of friends and was politely informed he could not be served.
“As soon as I entered, the manager came up and asked me whether I was a Jew,” Rothschild declared. “My appearance is hardly ‘Aryan.’ I confirmed the fact that I was a Jew and he replied he was sorry he couldn’t serve me and that I must leave. No explanation was offered. I left with my party.”
In answer to comment by a reporter that the incident was most unusual for England, Rothschild, described in the press as “tall, dark, shy and slightly Byronic,” replied:
“Ah, we live in a changed age, but this sounds rather like Nazi Germany.”
Victor Rothschild was married last January 3 to Barbara Hutch-###son, daughter of the British judge. She became a Jewess prior to her engagement, in keeping with the House of Rothschild tradition that male members of the family must not marry outside the faith.
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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.
