Statue of medieval Jewish woman who helped fund Westminster Abbey is unveiled

A life-size statue of a medieval Jewish woman who financed the building of Westminster Abbey, has been unveiled in her home town of Winchester.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and a representative of the Royal Family joined more than 1,000 people in the city’s Jewry Street, to see the statue of Licoricia of Winchester being inaugurated.

Licoricia was a prominent Jewish moneylender who was murdered in 1277 during a period of antisemitism in the reign of Edward I which culminated in the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290.

The project to install a statue, crafted by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, was launched to help mark the presence of a medieval Jewish community in England’s former capital city.

After Prince Charles tested positive for coronavirus, and was unable to attend, The Queen’s representative in Hampshire, Lord Lieutenant Nigel Atkinson, announced the news to the crowd – which was met with disappointment.

He read out a message from The Prince of Wales, which said: “Ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry that I cannot be with you today. I am desperately disappointed as I was so looking forward to marking this historic occasion with you.

“I hope very much that I will be able to visit at a future time. But for today please accept my most heartfelt apologies and my very best wishes as you mark this memorable occasion for Winchester.”

Chief Rabbi Mirvis said: “In many ways, the story of Licoricia shines a light on the nature of the Medieval Jewish community.

“Despite living in a society which was frequently hostile to Jews, Licoricia was totally committed to raising her family, building a successful enterprise and contributing to the prosperity of the country.

“As such, the unveiling of this significant statue sends a powerful message to contemporary British society of the importance of industriousness, generosity and respect for all people.”

It was left to the Lord Lieutenant, with the aid of some local schoolchildren, to unveil the statue of Licoricia, which has a now historically incorrect plaque at its base saying it was unveiled by the Prince of Wales.

Rabbi Charley Baginsky, Chief Executive Officer of Liberal Judaism, who attended the unveiling, said it “was incredibly moving to be part of the ceremony”.

“It was not just a statue that was unveiled but a story. For too long the life of this remarkable woman has laid buried and there is a real message of hope in this public commitment to remembering her and learning through her, not only lessons of the past, but lessons for the future.”

Speaking to Jewish News, renowned historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, who is a patron of the Licoricia of Winchester Statue Appeal, reflected on the impact of her story for modern times.

He said the unveiling was “a very important and exciting moment for Jewish history, but also for English and British history”.

“She was she was a powerful woman in an age of male domination, she was a powerful member of an ethnic minority in a time of total Anglo Norman supremacy. She was an outsider in an age of royalty, aristocracy and hierarchy, so in all those senses; she was a fascinating character, and I see her as a female Jewish potentate in mediaeval England.”

Reflecting on the relevance of antisemitism she faced, compared to rising Jew-hatred in modern times, he said the unveiling was “especially important in in today’s environment, when people are misunderstanding or neglecting or deliberately misinterpreting Jewish history and the nature of antisemitism.”

He said however, it would “be ridiculous to make a parallel” between persecution she faced, to antisemitism today.

“We are living in a time when antisemitism is rising, when the the number of antisemitic incidents is rising. So the statue is a reminder of how dangerous antisemitism is”. But, he stressed, “Britain is one of the most tolerant countries in the world, let’s not forget that. We shouldn’t exaggerate what’s happening today”.

This comes after the Community Security Trust announced record figures of antisemitic incidents in 2021.

Licoricia, he said, existed in “a time of terrifying and atrocious antisemitic persecution”, including massacres of hundreds of Jewish people, which “ended in the total expulsion and impoverishment of English Jews.”

He said the unveiling celebrates the “complete story”, of “a woman who was able to navigate her way through a world of kings and barons”, while also facing persecution for her faith.