Miriam Moses (13 November 1884 — 24 June 1965) was a British Liberal politician, philanthropist and social reformer. She served as the first female mayor of Stepney, and the first female Jewish mayor in the United Kingdom.

Personal life

Moses was born in the East End of London on 13 November 1884 to Jewish parents Mark and Hannah Moses. Her father had been born in Torun, then in Germany, and had come to the United Kingdom in 1863 at the age of eight. In London, Mark Moses became a tailor, local councillor,

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and member of the

Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...

. Her mother was a charity worker. Miriam Moses studied at Old Castle Street school in Whitechapel. She appeared on

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

in 1958. Moses died on 24 June 1965 at Middlesex Hospital.

Political career

Moses stood for election under the label of the Progressive Party, which was a party for local elections in London based around the Liberal Party with initial support from the Labour Party. By the time Moses contested elections, Labour was competing against the Progressives, and in 1925 the label was retired across the city and she stood as an

independent candidate An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

. She was chair of the Whitechapel Liberal Association for many years. In 1921, Moses became a

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

councillor for

Spitalfields Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...

East ward in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, replacing her father upon his death. She held the seat until standing down in 1934, when the ward returned Labour councillors. The Labour Party's failure to take the seat until then has been credited to Moses's personal popularity, which was reflected in her heading the polls in the ward by a substantial majority at every election. One of her colleagues suggested that her social work meant that many Jewish voters associated her more with her community work than her politics. Moses unsuccessfully sought the Liberal nomination for the

1930 Whitechapel and St Georges by-election The Whitechapel and St George's by-election, 1930 was a parliamentary by-election held on 3 December 1930 for the British House of Commons constituency of Whitechapel and St George's in the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney. Vacancy The seat h ...

. The municipal election of 1931 had resulted in a hung council, with thirty Conservative-aligned Municipal Reform Party councillors, twenty-six Labour councillors and four independents including Moses. With the support of Municipal Reform Councillors, Moses narrowly defeated Labour's

J. H. Hall James Henry Hall (24 March 1877 – 6 June 1942), known as J. H. Hall, was an English trade unionist and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for the Whitech ...

to be elected as the first female Mayor of Stepney, and the first female Jewish mayor in the country. Labour opponents questioned her personal integrity, with some describing her as "

Shylock Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play ''The Merchant of Venice'' (c. 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the ...

" following her election. Moses's personal political style has been described as "crusading zeal". She supported the municipal provision of contraception for poor mothers, and in 1933 proposed a Jewish charitable solution for funding a housing programme. She opposed giving exceptions to Sunday trading laws for Jewish traders. She supported Henrietta Adler in condemning anti-immigrant housing policies of the Municipal Reform Party in 1932.

Social work

Moses was school manager for two local schools, and served on committees for local charities and the board of guardians, which was responsible for implementing the Poor Law. In 1922, she became the first female

in Whitechapel. With Elsie Cohen, she co-founded the Brady Girls' Club in 1925, as a parallel to the older Brady Boys' Club, which was one of the first Jewish boys' clubs in the country. During the First World War, Moses served as a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment. She was chief air raid officer for her neighbourhood throughout the Second World War, during which time she established a hostel for girls made homeless by bombing. In 1945, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her bravery in the latter role.

Religion

An observant Orthodox Jew, Moses served on the

Board of Deputies The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after only the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established ...

representing New Synagogue on Stamford Hill—the first woman representing any constituent of the United Synagogue. In this role, she pushed for women's voting rights for the executive of the United Synagogue, succeeding in 1954. She was a founder member of the League of Jewish Women, later serving as president. She also served on the executives of the Jewish Board of Guardians and the Association of Jewish Youth. She was a member of the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, Miriam 1884 births 1965 deaths Progressive Party (London) politicians Mayors of places in Greater London Women mayors of places in England Jewish British politicians Members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews English justices of the peace Officers of the Order of the British Empire