1. What was life like for Jewish immigrants in Scotland?
Lesson starter:
Copy: a stereotype is a fixed idea or generalisation that people make about one group of people i.e. “all Scottish people have red hair”. 1

2. We are learning to…
Describe the experience of Jewish, Italian and Lithuanian immigrants in Scotland.
Examine the integration of Jewish, Italian and Lithuanian immigrants in Scotland.

3. I can… Gather information from audio clips on the Jewish experience
Compare different experiences between groups of Jewish, Italian and Lithuanian immigrants in Scotland

4. What is meant by the word anti-semitism?
Anti-semitism is dislike of or discrimination against Jewish people.

5. Activity: Listening Task
Listen to the experiences of 3 Jewish people whose families immigrated to Scotland, and take notes
Take notes under the three headings below (names of speakers)
Alec Bernstein
Symie Miller
Harry Criven

6. Paired Task
With your partner, compare your notes on the experience of Jewish immigrants
What do they have in common?
How do their experiences differ?

7. Jewish people in Scotland
Established own communities i.e. Giffnock
Built synagogues i.e. in Southside of Glasgow
Jewish people in Scotland
Established own newspapers i.e. Jewish Telegraph
Became middle class – became highly educated and went in to medicine, jewellers etc

8. Jewish in Scotland
Jewish immigrants settled mainly in Glasgow, however there was also a sizeable Jewish community in Edinburgh by 1939.
Jewish communities were not perceived as a threat in Scotland because people did not come in such large numbers (compared to Irish immigrants).

9. Jewish immigrants tended to work selling goods door to door, although they also worked as bakers, watchmakers, and jewellers.
Jews faced discrimination from Scots as they were accused of undercutting wages and running ‘sweated’ trades. Sweated trades are where people work for long hours, low wages in poor conditions.

10. Although this was not always the case, the association with sweated trades portrayed Jews in a negative light in the eyes of trade unions and the press.
These stereotypes led to instances of anti-Semitism, sometimes violence.

11. The Jewish Leader
This newspaper is from the Jewish Archive of Glasgow.
This page gives an opinion of the education in Scotland for the Jewish population at the time.

12. The Jewish Leader Highlights that assimilation was taking place – see advertisements for cinema and theatre.

13. Key points…
 Jewish people did integrate into Scottish society in some ways, but not completely.
Jewish immigrants were very keen to keep their own customs, traditions and culture.
Jewish immigrants to Scotland did experience some anti-Semitism.
These experiences show that Jews helped the less fortunate in their own communities.
Some Jews changed their name to try and integrate into Scottish society more.

14. Lithuanian Immigrants in Scotland

15. Lithuanian immigrant experience
Mind Mapping Activity
Lithuanian immigrant experience
Over the next few slides, you will be given information on what the Lithuanians did when they arrived in Scotland and how they were accepted into Scottish life. Add notes onto your mind map.

16. Lithuanian Immigrants
Lithuanian immigrants mainly settled in industrial towns in the west of Scotland.
The largest settlement of Lithuanian immigrants in Scotland was in Coatbridge, with a peak of 6000

17. Reaction to Lithuanians
Lithuanians were not fully welcomed by Scots and they faced many hostilities.
Many Lithuanians changed their surnames to help integrate into local communities.
Scots were concerned that Lithuanians would work for lower wages.

18. Many Scots believed that Lithuanians were ‘dirty drunks.’
They were considered to lower the standards of the area they lived in.
However this was not the case. Many miners, regardless of their nationality were often labelled with the same stereotype.

19. Over time, Lithuanians were accepted into the Community.
Many Lithuanian miners went on strike alongside Scottish miners for better pay and working conditions
This helped forge a sense of community.

20. Key Points
By 1914, Lithuanians had assimilated well into local communities.
Lithuanian immigrants wanted to fit into local communities so changed their names and past times to do so
Lithuanian immigrants did experience discrimination in Scotland
Lithuanian immigrants were hard workers and sympathised with Scots

21. Italian Immigrants in Scotland

22. Italian immigrants in Scotland
Source
Employment/Jobs
Problems faced
Evidence of assimilation D E F G H I
Copy the table above into your jotter. Your group will be given different sources that describe the experience of Italian immigration in Scotland. Read the source, then fill out the table in your jotter using this information.

23. Key Points… Italian immigrants faced some hostility from Scots.
Many Scots were angry that their shops opened on Sundays and were open in the evenings
Many Italians forged communities in Scottish towns and they maintained Italian culture and did not adapt to Scottish traditions.

24. Revision Activity
Choose one of the immigrant groups we have looked at. Put who it is at the top of a new page in your jotter. (E.g. Lithuanians / Irish Catholics etc).
Draw a ‘pin person’ into the centre of the page.
Around the figure write all the experiences of this person in Scotland – e.g. jobs done, relations with the Scots.
Then cover up your heading and test your classmates on who the person is. If they can guess the nationality of the person in the sketch then you must have done a good job!
Do the same again for the other groups. 24