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'''Chuts''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|x|ʊ|t|s}} is the name applied to [[Jew]]s who immigrated to [[London]] from the [[Netherlands]] in the mid-Victorian era (1850s–1860s). They typically came from the cities of [[Amsterdam]] and [[Rotterdam]], and brought to London their trades: most notably those of [[cigar]]-, cap-, and slipper-making, and as small-time [[ship chandler]]s.<ref name="Shemot">''19th Century Dutch Jews in London'' and ''The Rag Man's Children'', published by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain</ref>

Their settlement began in the area beyond the [[Spitalfields]] known as the [[Tenterground]], formerly an enclosed area where [[Flemings|Flemish]] [[Weaving|weavers]] stretched and dried their woven cloth on machines called ''tenters'' (hence the expression "on [[tenterhook]]s"). By the mid-[[Victorian era]], the weavers began to disperse as the open grounds disappeared beneath housing built by [[speculative development|speculative developers]] and became an enclave for Chut immigrants who established themselves as a distinct community. Demolished and rebuilt piecemeal in successive slum-clearance projects in the 1890s, 1930s and most notably after the devastation of [[The Blitz]], the area is now bounded by White's Row, Wentworth Street, Bell Lane and Toynbee Street (formerly Shepherd Street).<ref name="Shemot"/><ref name="ONS">Office for National Statistics, censuses of England and Wales, 1851 to 1901</ref>

Following the [[assassination of Alexander II of Russia]] in 1881, many thousands of [[Jewish refugees]], fleeing the consequential [[pogroms]] in [[Eastern Europe]], arrived in the [[East End]] of London, including the Tenterground, by which time the Chuts had begun to disperse. Significantly, the successful introduction of machinery for the [[mass production]] of [[cigarette]]s ultimately led to the collapse of the cigar-making economy on which the Chuts community depended. Many Chuts returned to improved conditions in Amsterdam, some emigrated further afield to places such as Australia and the United States, some assimilated into other Jewish families, and some eventually lost their [[Jewish identity]] altogether.<ref name="Shemot"/><ref name="ONS"/>

There was distinct rivalry between the Chuts and the later Jewish immigrants, not least because the Chuts had arrived as city-dwellers with useful industrial skills and by 1881 had already learned to speak English, whereas the later immigrants were generally impoverished rural workers who had to learn new trades in the notorious [[sweatshop]]s and, arriving penniless and in great numbers, drew attention to the problem of immigration which resulted in the [[Aliens Act 1905|Aliens Act of 1905]].<ref name="Shemot"/>

Furthermore, the Chuts were treated with suspicion by other Jews because the former had developed specific customs and practices. Many of these families had lived in the Netherlands since the first [[synagogue]]s were established there in the early 17th century and where, uniquely, [[Ashkenazi]]m  and [[Sephardi]]m then lived in close proximity for over two hundred years, resulting in a religious-cultural blend not found elsewhere. For example, the Chuts followed the Sephardim tradition by not banning [[kitniyot]] at [[Pesach]]. Furthermore, the [[History of the Jews in the Netherlands|Dutch Jews]] were well accustomed to the wealth of seafoods available in their cities - foods that were not strictly [[Kashruth|kosher]]. This tradition lead to the Chuts becoming famous for the fried fish that began the British [[fish and chips]] trade, and also  of the East End shellfish stands set up on major thoroughfares around the pubs near closing time.<ref name="Shemot"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://spitalfieldslife.com/2013/06/13/so-long-tubby-isaacs-jellied-eel-stall/ | title=So Long, Tubby Isaac's Jellied Eel Stall &#124; Spitalfields Life }}</ref>

==Etymology==
The origin of the name ''Chuts'' is uncertain. A popular assumption is that it derives from the Dutch word ''goed'' (pronounced {{IPA|/ɣut/}} and meaning "good") and is imitative of the foreign-language chatter that others heard. It is also [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] {{Script/Hebrew|חוץ}} for "outside" or "in the street" and may have been applied to the Dutch Jews of London either because they were socially isolated or because many were [[Hawker (trade)|street vendors]]. Another possibility is that the Hebrew word would have appeared increasingly in Amsterdam synagogue records as more and more emigrated to London, and others who followed would have "gone chuts" (''i.e.'', emigrated).<ref name="Shemot"/>

The word ''Chut'' is sometimes used as a singular noun but is most likely a [[back-formation]].

==Conditions in the Netherlands prior to immigration==
Despite [[Napoleonic Era|Napoleonic]] [[Jewish emancipation|emancipation]] in 1793, Jews remained barred from entry into the [[guild]]s in the Netherlands and were not permitted to be shopkeepers (with few exceptions, e.g. kosher butchers) for fear of the competition they would present to other Dutch. They were also denied entry into the state school system.<ref name="Endelman">''The Jews of Georgian England'' by Todd M. Endelman</ref>

In spite of the efforts of [[William III of the Netherlands|William III]] after the defeat of [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]], the Ashkenazi Dutch concentrated in Amsterdam in [[slum]] conditions and resisted integration. Prejudice against them, although not amounting to religious persecution, continued through the mid-19th century. These factors together with the ongoing decline of the Dutch economy prompted a flow of Jewish emigrants from Amsterdam.<ref name="Endelman"/>

Notably, Jews in the UK benefited from formal emancipation in 1858, after which they could become skilled tradesmen and conduct business freely without taking [[Christianity|Christian]] [[oath]]s.

==See also==
*[[Sandys Row Synagogue]]
*[[Ashkenazi Jews]]
*[[Sephardi Jews]]
*[[History of the Jews in the Netherlands]]
*[[Jewish ethnic diversity]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Amsterdam/london/ 19th Century London: a primary attraction for Ashkenazi Dutch immigration] by Aubrey Jacobus. JewishGen KehilaLinks, Amsterdam, Netherlands
*[https://ourhiddenhistories.com/word/#timeline Sandys Row Synagogue history pages]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060910215327/http://www.zen28027.zen.co.uk/ Article on 19th century Dutch Jews in London with downloadable census data]

[[Category:English people of Dutch-Jewish descent| ]]
[[Category:Dutch-Jewish culture in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Jewish Dutch history]]
[[Category:Jewish English history]]
[[Category:Jews and Judaism in London]]