The Yiddishers were a London street gang based in

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

led by Alfred Solomon. One of their more famous members was future mobster Jack Spot during the inter-war years. During the 1930s, they opposed the growing

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

movement in Great Britain and participated in an attack on members of the

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, f ...

led by Sir

Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980), was a British aristocrat and politician who rose to fame during the 1920s and 1930s when he, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, turned to fascism. ...

, which became known as the

Battle of Cable Street The Battle of Cable Street was a series of clashes that took place at several locations in the East End of London, most notably Cable Street, on Sunday 4 October 1936. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police, sent to protect a march ...

, on 4 October 1936. Other gangs in London around the same period as the Yiddishers were the Jewish Aldgate Mob, Russian Jews Bessarabian Tigers, Bethnal Green Mob who were allies with the Hoxton Mob,

Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...

's Broad Mob, Elephant and Castle Mob, Islington Mob, Kings Cross Gang, Odessians, West End Boys and the Whitechapel Mob. The fictional ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

'' character Alfie Solomons, played by Tom Hardy, is based on Alfred Solomon, leader of the Yiddishers.

References

Anti-fascism in the United Kingdom Anti-racism in the United Kingdom Former gangs in London English Jews Jews and Judaism in London Opposition to antisemitism in the United Kingdom Yiddish culture in England Jewish organisations based in the United Kingdom Jewish anti-fascists {{crime-org-stub