The Powerful Resistance Story Of Group 62 In Ridley Road

Show about Jewish resistance to British fascism. Fascism and neo-Nazism were on the rise in the 1960s in the United Kingdom. Fascists, like the National Socialist Movement (NSM), the most prominent group at the time, were openly protesting, organizing, and perpetuating violence against Jews and Jewish institutions across the country. Jews were unsafe.

In the same way Jews spearheaded the fight against fascism in the 1930s, at the center of the resistance against the rising tide of British fascism was a Jewish antifascist group called Group 62. And that’s where our story starts for another amazing tv show about the Jewish people.

Ridley Road is an adaptation of a British novel of the same name by Jo Bloom. It is based on the actual historical events of how, during the 1960s Group 62 led the antifascist, anti-Nazi resistance by openly challenging the NSM and their allies on the streets of Britain.

The cast and plot. The story centers on Vivien Epstein, played by Agnes O’Casey (Dangerous Liaisons), a fictional young Jewish hairdresser from Manchester who runs away to London to escape her idle life and an undesirable marriage prospect. She flees to London to chase the man she is in love with, Jack Morris, played by Tom Varey (No Offense, Pond Life). In London, Vivien unexpectedly finds herself shocked and appalled when she stumbles upon Jack at a neo-Nazi rally in downtown London waiving a flag next to the real-life Colin Jordan, the leader of the British neo-Nazi movement (and six years later the global neo-Nazi movement). Colin Jordan is played by Rory Kinnear (Imitation Game, Quantum of Solace, Penny Dreadful).

Going undercover. Don’t worry, she didn’t accidentally fall in love with a Nazi. Jack is not a Nazi. He’s central to the 62 Group mission to infiltrate the NSM. His undercover work had already saved Jewish lives and property at the time Vivien discovers him in London. Before she knows it, Vivien is plunged headfirst into going undercover. Her mission is to infiltrate the group by disguising herself as a blonde-haired gentile to discover their violent plans before they come to fruition.

Why you need to watch this show. The Jewish antifascist team is the first reason you have to watch Ridley Road. The group is led by Soly Malinovsky, played by Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan, The Contractor, 7 Days in Entebbe). Soly is Vivien’s uncle. This is the second time that Marsan has played an iconic Jewish role. He played a serious, bold, and determined Shimon Peres as the Israeli Defense Minister in 7 Days in Entebbe. Off-screen, Marsan has been a real ally to the Jewish people in Britain. Soly’s impulsive and brave leadership is offset by Rabbi Leslie Lehrer, played by Allan Corduner (Defiance, Mr. Nobody, The Offering), who is the moral and spiritual voice of the group. Rabbi Lehrer’s guidance continually brings home the importance of their mission. Their successes prevent violence and comfort a Jewish community that is constantly under siege.

Tracy-Ann Oberman (East Enders, Friday Night Dinner, Toast of London) plays Nancy Malinovsky, Soly’s wife. Nancy is the backbone of the group. Off-screen, Oberman has been one of the leading Jewish voices in Britain speaking out against the rise of antisemitism.

Based on real events. The other reason why you should watch Ridley Road is because it is based on very real events. Fascism was becoming normalized in the UK. Jews were being attacked. Synagogues, Jewish schools, cemeteries, and other Jewish institutions were severely vandalized. There was a real sense among the Jewish population at the time that Jews were under serious threat. Twenty years earlier, Jews that had returned to Britain from fighting in WWII and the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, formed the 43 Group in 1946 to protect the Jewish community and confront the rising tide of fascism occurring in the immediate post-war period. Even then, the post-war period in Britain was reeling from violence during the 1930s and early 1940s.

The Battle of Cable Street. In 1936, one of the defining moments of British history in the 20th century was the Battle of Cable Street. British fascists decided to march through the East End in London, a location where many Jews lived, in order to provoke and intimiate the Jewish population there. A massive clash broke out between the fascists and the Metropolitan Police that was sent there to protect them one one side and a diverse group of Jewish and other antifascists protestors on the other. After WWII, the 43 Group was the main antifascist group in Britain. In 1950, the 43 Group disbanded.

Twenty years later, the Jews of Britain found themselves organizing again. This is a backdrop for much of the show. Now in the 1960s, Soly and his family have spent over twenty years defending the Jewish people against fascists on British soil. In 1962, there was a massive neo-Nazi rally in Trafalgar Square in London that symbolized the new antisemitic threat facing British Jewry. Group 62 was formed after the rally. Their mission was simple. To openly and directly confront the fascists and to infiltrate their organization to uncover their plans and keep Jews safe.

The urgency of Group 62’s mission is palpable. The odds and numbers never in their favor, they consistently set out on their impossible mission. Watching British Jews tackle every hurdle no matter how difficult or inevitable the ending might be was really extraodinary. Ridley road should be mandatory viewing, especially if you are not familiar with the history of antisemitism in the UK.

By Aaron Gold. Aaron Gold is a writer and the founder of The Hasmonean.

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