author
Henry Faudel
1809–1863
A 19th-century businessman and Jewish communal reformer, Henry Faudel used his pamphlets to argue for better education, more effective charity, and equal civil rights. His writing offers a direct window into the debates shaping Anglo-Jewish life in Victorian Britain.
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About the author
Henry Faudel (1809–21 September 1863) was a London businessman, communal leader, and advocate for Jewish civil rights. Connected to a family with roots in Hamburg, he directed shipping companies and Southampton Docks and chaired the Jews’ Hospital. He also supported combining London’s Jewish charities to reduce duplicated effort and improve services for the poor.
Faudel published Suggestions to the Jews, a reform-minded pamphlet calling for stronger communal organization in education, charity, and governance. In A Few Words on the Jewish Disabilities, he argued for the removal of restrictions on Jewish participation in public life.
A Freemason, Faudel played a prominent role in opposing the exclusion of Jews from Prussian lodges. His campaign helped bring pressure on the English Grand Lodge, and the Prussian lodge eventually withdrew its refusal in 1847. He was remembered after his death as a measured but determined voice for justice and Jewish communal reform.