List of British Jews

The first Jews arrived in Britain with the Romans but it wasn't until the arrival of William the Conqueror in 1066 that organized Jewish communities first appeared. These existed until 1290 when the Jewish population was expelled by Edward I. (Hence plays such as The Jew of Malta and The Merchant of Venice were written when England was essentially devoid of Jews.) Jews were readmitted in 1656 by Oliver Cromwell, and emancipation took place in 1858. In the late 19th century there was mass Jewish immigration from anti-semitic Russia, and the 1930s saw an influx of refugees from Nazism. The Jewish population peaked at 450,000, but has since declined due to low birth rate, intermarriage and emigration. The current population according to the 2001 Census is around 240,000 (though many experts consider this an underestimate), most of whom live in London. The following is a list of some prominent British Jews.

Business and the Professions

Food

• Jack Cohen, founder of Tesco
• Jacob "the Jew", founder of the first European coffeehouse (Oxford, 1650)
• Adam & Sam Kaye, founders of Ask Pizza
• Phillip Kaye, founder of Garfunkel's
• Nigella Lawson, celebrity chef
• Joseph Lyons et al, founders of J. Lyons and Co.

Retail

• Marilyn & Yoram Anselm, founders of Hobbs
• Charles Clore, founder of Sears Group, philanthropist
• Ralph, David & Jacqueline Gold, founders of Ann Summers
• Philip Green, owner of Bhs, Arcadia Group
• Stanley Kalms, founder of Dixons
• Michael Marks, co-founder of Marks & Spencer
• Stephen Marks, founder of FCUK
• Moses Moss, founder of Moss Bros, and his sons George and Alfred, the brothers of its name
• Joseph Nathan, founder of Glaxo
• Marcus Samuel, founder of Shell Oil
• Peter Simon, founder of Monsoon & Accessorize
• Alan Sugar, founder of Amstrad
• Isaac Wolfson, founder of GUS plc & philanthropist
• Leonard Wolfson, chairman of GUS plc & philanthropist
• Selim Zilkha, founder of Mothercare (while UK-based)

Law

• His Honour Gerald Butler, QC, judge
• Lord Peter Goldsmith, QC, Attorney General
• Brian Green, QC
• Dame Rose Heilbron, Britain's first female QC, judge
• Sir George Jessel, Solicitor General, later Master of the Rolls
• Baron Lloyd of Hampstead, QC and professor of law
• Sir David Napley, solicitor and president of the Law Society
• Leonard Sainer, solicitor and retailer
• Cyril Salmon, Baron Salmon of Sandwich, QC, law lord
• Daniel Serota, Circuit Judge
• Simon Serota, High Court Taxing Master
• Linda Joy Stern, Circuit Judge and ex-Crown Prosecutor
• Peter Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth, QC, former Lord Chief Justice
• Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, Lord Chief Justice, QC, former Master of the Rolls

Media

• Jacob Rothschild, (Lord) Non-Executive Deputy Chairman of the Board, British SKY Broadcasting Group PLC
• Conrad Black, media magnate
• Michael Grade, Chairman of the BBC
• Sidney Bernstein, founder of Granada Television
• Steve Morrison, Ex. Chief Executive of Granada plc
• Graham Creelman, Managing Director of Anglia Television, Chairman of Anglia Multimedia
• Benjamin Cohen, former teenage dot.com millionaire
• Richard Desmond, publisher
• Guy Zitter, Managing Director of the Daily Mail
• Lew Grade, founder of ATV
• Michael Green, founder of Carlton Television
• Joseph Moses Levy, founder of the Daily Telegraph
• Harry Marks, founder of the Financial Times
• Tom Maschler, literary publisher, Booker Prize founder
• Robert Maxwell, publisher
• Louis Theroux, Palestinian mother, Jewish father
• Paul Reuter, founder of Reuters
• Maurice & Charles Saatchi, founders of Saatchi and Saatchi
• Martin Sorrell, founder of the WPP Group

Finance

• Lord Michael Levy, Important fundraiser for the Labour Party and runs a private investment company called Wireart
• Aaron of Lincoln, 12th century financier
• Lloyd Dorfman, founder of Travelex
• David Goldman, founder of The Sage Group
• Moses Haim Montefiore, financier & philanthropist
• Michael Moritz, venture capitalist
• Nathan Mayer Rothschild, financier & banker
• Baron Montagu of Swaythling family, banker
• Samuel Montagu, 1st Baron Swaythling

Sport

• David Collier, chief executive of The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)