Sons of the Covenant: A Tale of London Jewry

Samuel Gordon (1871 - 1927)

Born in London's poverty-stricken and heavily Jewish East End, the Lipcott boys create their own successes in life and love. The brothers' commitment to improving the lives of working class people leads them to concoct The Scheme to help both the residents of their former neighbourhood and the Jewish people as a whole. The author stresses the responsibility of middle class Jews toward the Jewish poor. Consequently, this 1900 story has its preachy moments as well as some essentialised speculations about Jewish history and character. But the book isn't all earnestness - there are character studies, love interests, and some great comic scenes, too!

The son of a Russian rabbi, Samuel Gordon (1871-1927) was born in Germany and came to England at the age of 13. Like Phil Lipcott, his protagonist in this novel, Gordon attended Cambridge University. The club envisioned by The Scheme seems modeled after London's Jewish Working Men's Institute. This was one of several East End organisations (e.g., the Jewish Girls Club, the Brady Boys Club) established by Jewish philanthropists around the turn of the 19th century to "instill in the rising generation all that is best in the English character..." (Col. A. E. Goldsmit, founder of the Jewish Lads Brigade). (Summary by Adrian Praetzellis)

Genre(s): Family Life, Literary Fiction, Religious Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Chapter 01 Adrian Praetzellis
00:13:42
Play 02 Chapter 02 Adrian Praetzellis
00:17:15
Play 03 Chapter 03 Adrian Praetzellis
00:21:13
Play 04 Chapter 04 Adrian Praetzellis
00:12:27
Play 05 Chapter 05 Adrian Praetzellis
00:18:51
Play 06 Chapter 06 Adrian Praetzellis
00:26:22
Play 07 Chapter 07 Adrian Praetzellis
00:17:04
Play 08 Chapter 08 Adrian Praetzellis
00:24:49
Play 09 Chapter 09 Adrian Praetzellis
00:13:29
Play 10 Chapter 10 Adrian Praetzellis
00:35:26
Play 11 Chapter 11 Adrian Praetzellis
00:13:17
Play 12 Chapter 12 Adrian Praetzellis
00:42:14
Play 13 Chapter 13 Adrian Praetzellis
00:28:54
Play 14 Chapter 14 Adrian Praetzellis
00:37:44
Play 15 Chapter 15 Adrian Praetzellis
00:17:55
Play 16 Chapter 16 Adrian Praetzellis
00:29:40
Play 17 Chapter 17 Adrian Praetzellis
00:44:31
Play 18 Chapter 18 Part 1 Adrian Praetzellis
00:29:42
Play 19 Chapter 18 Part 2 Adrian Praetzellis
00:36:05
Play 20 Chapter 19 Adrian Praetzellis
00:54:09
Play 21 Chapter 20 Part 1 Adrian Praetzellis
00:16:22
Play 22 Chapter 20 Part 2 Adrian Praetzellis
00:32:21
Play 23 Chapter 21 Adrian Praetzellis
00:26:09
Play 24 Chapter 22 Adrian Praetzellis
00:45:52
Play 25 Chapter 23 Adrian Praetzellis
00:36:51
Play 26 Chapter 24 Adrian Praetzellis
00:45:27
Play 27 Chapter 25 Adrian Praetzellis
00:22:03
Play 28 Chapter 26 Adrian Praetzellis
00:26:09
Play 29 Chapter 27 Adrian Praetzellis
00:29:20
Play 30 Chapter 28 Adrian Praetzellis
00:25:45
Play 31 Chapter 29 Adrian Praetzellis
00:22:57
Play 32 Chapter 30 Adrian Praetzellis
00:36:10
Play 33 Chapter 31 Part 1 Adrian Praetzellis
00:28:27
Play 34 Chapter 31 Part 2 Adrian Praetzellis
00:37:06