Research Topic
Unaccompanied Jewish child migrants in British and French Jewish humanitarianism (1903-1948)
Supervisor: Abigail Green
My DPhil thesis focuses on unaccompanied Jewish child migrants in British and French Jewish humanitarianism from 1903 to 1948. It seeks to understand the continuities and ruptures in the care of unaccompanied Jewish child migrants throughout this period, as well as the motivations of French and British Jewish humanitarian organisations in supporting them. It aims to place the history of Jewish humanitarianism towards children in a longer perspective, whereas most research focuses mainly on the Holocaust and the 1930s. By examining the precursors of the relief actions of the 1930s and 1940s, this thesis promises to refresh existing historiography by deepening the understanding of the wider context in which French and British Jewish humanitarians carried out their actions. No comparative study between French and British Jewish humanitarianism that focuses on their support for unaccompanied Jewish child migrants has also been undertaken.
My DPhil is part of the “Jewish Country Houses” project led by Professor Abigail Green, and more specifically of its “politics and philanthropy” strand. As a Collaborative Doctoral Award student, my work is conducted in partnership with the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) in London. My research is co-funded by the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP and the Clarendon Scholarship.