‘Fighting Back’
A new book “Fighting Back? Jewish and Black Boxers in Britain,” and Ghetto Warriors, a related exhibit at the Jewish Museum of London, offer a new look into British minority boxers’ fight for identity and acceptance, both in and outside the ring.
Inhabiting London’s East End, a neighborhood that reeked of poverty and despair in the early 18th century, Jewish and black boxers originally viewed their sport as a means of “fighting back” against the economic injustices and ethnic prejudices that plagued them. While Jewish fighters began to gain respect in the late 1700s through the victories of Daniel Mendoza, black boxers struggled: They were underpaid and barred from title matches until the 1940s. Over time, however, both Jewish and black fighters not only became sources of ethnic pride but also, through their triumphs, helped soften the lines of race and religion in British society. Edited by Michael Berkowitz and Ruti Ungar, “Fighting Back?” includes photographs and essays and is published by the department of Hebrew and Jewish studies at University College London).
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
