ABSTRACT
The reactions of the British people to the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Europe have received scant attention. The little that has been written has stressed the sympathy generated by the atrocities at the cost of disguising the complexity of the responses that emerged before 1939. In contrast this article suggests that anti-Semitism of a liberal and conservative variety helped to shape reactions in Britain. Moreover it argues that liberal attitudes towards Jews determined both refugee policy and the treatment of refugees in Britain and ultimately caused government and public alike to misinterpret the full horror and significance of the holocaust.
