The Chosen People: Wales and the Jews

The histories of the Welsh people and the Jewish people have entwined in a number of ways over the centuires. The Chosen People uses extracts from Welsh literature to show the two nations have interacted both in Wales and elsewhere. Drawing its sources from poetry, drama, novels, shortstories, memoirs and a screenplay, the book reveals the variety of welsh responses to the Jewish people from the sixth century to the present day, from conversionism to comradeship, and from scepticism to solidarity. Among the topics covered are the curious tale of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists’ mission to convert the Jews; the sensational Cardiff Jewess Abduction Case; the dramatic Welsh role in the recapture of Jerusalem from the Turks; the anti-semitic riots in the Welsh valleys; the parallels drawn between the Welsh and Hebrew languages; the crucial part played by Wales in the establishment of the State of Israel.