ABSTRACT
The Jewish clergy was accused of doing too little to help the poor in the community, and references were made to socially committed Protestant and Catholic members of the clergy. Several pioneers were driving forces in this rapprochement between the social-democratic movement and the Jewish workers. Few Jewish workers were unaffected by the economic decline, social turmoil and labour movement activities. During the late 1880s and early 1890s a marked change in outlook took place within the Handwerkers Vriendenkring (HV), the only organization that Jewish workers joined in large numbers. Influenced by a few pioneers involved in the trade union for diamond workers and the Jewish social-democratic propaganda club Het Centrum, the social-democratic movement gradually became more popular among Jews. The HV was founded in 1869 by the Jewish watchcase maker Barend Koch. Koch aimed to start an organization dedicated to mutual aid that did not serve Jewish workers exclusively but did cater to their interests.
