Description:In the twentieth century, the 'Birmingham Hebrew Congregation' of Singer's Hill faced a humanitarian crisis- the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany.
In WWII, Hitler's brutal regime would be responsible for murdering millions of innocent Jews in concentration camps. But while many people had sought to ‘appease’ the rise of the dictator, and were slow to accept the realties of the unfolding situation, there was one man Birmingham who fought the tides of prejudice sweeping across Europe.
Rev Abraham Cohen of Singer’s Hill Synagogue was one of the greatest of Birmingham’s civic leaders and a fiercely outspoken critic of Hitler. His life was framed by progressive interests in education, antiracism, Jewish history and inter-faith work. In 1933, Cohen sent a letter to the Birmingham Post which laid bare the actions taking place in Germany (see main image).
As this and other writings show, Cohen continually sought to challenge prejudice by articulating how the fight against right wing extremism was a shared challenge. He embodied the sense of social justice that had once also driven the nineteenth century leaders of the Jewish Community, at a time when ideals of equality and a rational belief in humanity was sorely needed by men and women of all faiths.
From the efforts of nineteenth century settlers like David Barnett, to men like Abraham Cohen in WWII, to late twentieth century activists like Maurice Ludmer (see link), the Birmingham Jewish community have continually supported work against fascism and aided the fight for social justice.