Wikipedia's first sentence called it “name applied to jews who immigrated to london from the netherlands during the latter part of the 19th century”. Today it says “name applied to jews who immigrated to london from the netherlands in the mid-victorian era”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2025
Victorian era Jewish immigrants to London This article is about Jewish immigrants in London. 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 chandlers . Their settlement began in the area beyond the Spitalfields known as the Tenterground , formerly an enclosed area where Flemish weavers stretched and dried their woven cloth on machines called tenters (hence the expression "on tenterhooks "). By the mid- Victorian era , the weavers began to disperse as the open grounds disappeared beneath housing built by 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). 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 cigarettes 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. 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 sweatshops and, arriving penniless and in great numbers, drew attention to the problem of immigration which resulted in the Aliens Act of 1905 . 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 synagogues were established there in the early 17th century and where, uniquely, Ashkenazim and Sephardim then lived in close proximity for over two hundred years, resulting in a religious-cultural blend not found elsewhere. Furthermore, the Dutch Jews were well accustomed to the wealth of seafoods available in their cities - foods that were not strictly 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. 19th Century Dutch Jews in London and The Rag Man's Children , published by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain Office for National Statistics, censuses of England and Wales, 1851 to 1901 "So Long, Tubby Isaac's Jellied Eel Stall | Spitalfields Life" .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1281405447.
The opening as it stood in 2010
The Netherlands during the latter part of the 19th century. They typically came from Amsterdam and practised trades they had already learned there, most notably cigar , cap and slipper making. They settled mostly in a small system of streets in Spitalfields known as the Tenterground , formerly an enclosed area where Flemish weavers stretched and dried cloth on machines called tenters (hence the expression "on tenterhooks "). By the 19th century, the site had been built upon with housing, but remained an enclave where the Dutch immigrants lived as a close-knit and generally separate community. Demolished and rebuilt during the twentieth century, the area is now bounded by White's Row , Wentworth Street , Bell Lane and Toynbee Street (formerly Shepherd Street). Following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1881, many thousands of Jewish refugees , fleeing political unrest 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 cigarettes 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 USA , some assimilated into other Jewish families, and some eventually lost their Jewish identity altogether. 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 sweatshops and, arriving penniless and in great numbers, drew attention to the problem of immigration which resulted in the Aliens Act of 1905 . Furthermore, the Chuts were treated with suspicion by other Jews because the former had developed specific customs and practices, many of their families having lived in Amsterdam since the first synagogues were established there in the early years of the 17th century. Uniquely in Amsterdam, Ashkenazim (so-called "German Jews") and Sephardim (so-called "Spanish Jews") lived in close proximity for centuries, resulting in a cultural blend not found elsewhere. Most remarkably, the Dutch Jews were well accustomed to the sea, and ate seafoods considered not kosher by other Jewish communities.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 359094816.
The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
They typically came from Amsterdam and practised trades they had already learned there, most notably cigar , cap and slipper making. They settled mostly in a small system of streets in Spitalfields known as the Tenterground , formerly an enclosed area where Flemish weavers stretched and dried cloth on machines called tenters (hence the expression "on tenterhooks "). By the 19th century, the site had been built upon with housing, but remained an enclave where the Dutch immigrants lived as a close-knit and generally separate community. Demolished and rebuilt during the twentieth century, the area is now bounded by White's Row , Wentworth Street , Bell Lane and Toynbee Street (formerly Shepherd Street). Following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1881, many thousands of Jewish refugees , fleeing political unrest 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 cigarettes 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 USA , some assimilated into other Jewish families, and some eventually lost their Jewish identity altogether. 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 sweatshops and, arriving penniless and in great numbers, drew attention to the problem of immigration which resulted in the Aliens Act of 1905 . Furthermore, the Chuts were treated with suspicion by other Jews because the former had developed specific customs and practices, many of their families having lived in Amsterdam since the first synagogues were established there in the early years of the 17th century. Uniquely in Amsterdam, Ashkenazim (so-called "German Jews") and Sephardim (so-called "Spanish Jews") lived in close proximity for centuries, resulting in a cultural blend not found elsewhere. Most remarkably, the Dutch Jews were well accustomed to the sea, and ate seafoods considered not kosher by other Jewish communities. 19th Century Dutch Jews in London and The Rag Man's Children , published by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain Office for National Statistics, censuses of England and Wales, 1851 to 1901
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 650269742.
The opening as it stood in 2020
They typically came from Amsterdam and practised trades they had already learned there, most notably cigar , cap and slipper making. They settled mostly in a small system of streets in Spitalfields known as the Tenterground , formerly an enclosed area where Flemish weavers stretched and dried cloth on machines called tenters (hence the expression "on tenterhooks "). By the 19th century, the site had been built upon with housing, but remained an enclave where the Dutch immigrants lived as a close-knit and generally separate community. Demolished and rebuilt during the twentieth century, the area is now bounded by White's Row , Wentworth Street , Bell Lane and Toynbee Street (formerly Shepherd Street). Following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1881, many thousands of Jewish refugees , fleeing political unrest 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 cigarettes 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. 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 sweatshops and, arriving penniless and in great numbers, drew attention to the problem of immigration which resulted in the Aliens Act of 1905 . Furthermore, the Chuts were treated with suspicion by other Jews because the former had developed specific customs and practices, many of their families having lived in Amsterdam since the first synagogues were established there in the early years of the 17th century. Uniquely in Amsterdam, Ashkenazim (so-called "German Jews") and Sephardim (so-called "Spanish Jews") lived in close proximity for centuries, resulting in a cultural blend not found elsewhere. Most remarkably, the Dutch Jews were well accustomed to the sea, and ate seafoods considered not kosher by other Jewish communities. 19th Century Dutch Jews in London and The Rag Man's Children , published by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain Office for National Statistics, censuses of England and Wales, 1851 to 1901
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 922454770.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
They typically came from Amsterdam and practised trades they had already learned there, most notably cigar -, cap- and slipper-making. They settled mostly in a small system of streets in Spitalfields known as the Tenterground , formerly an enclosed area where Flemish weavers stretched and dried cloth on machines called tenters (hence the expression "on tenterhooks "). By the 19th century, the site had been built upon with housing, but remained an enclave where the Dutch immigrants lived as a close-knit and generally separate community. Demolished and rebuilt during the twentieth century, the area is now bounded by White's Row , Wentworth Street, Bell Lane and Toynbee Street (formerly Shepherd Street). Following the assassination of Alexander II of Russia in 1881, many thousands of Jewish refugees , fleeing political unrest 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 cigarettes 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. 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 sweatshops and, arriving penniless and in great numbers, drew attention to the problem of immigration which resulted in the Aliens Act of 1905 . Furthermore, the Chuts were treated with suspicion by other Jews because the former had developed specific customs and practices, many of their families having lived in Amsterdam since the first synagogues were established there in the early years of the 17th century. Uniquely in Amsterdam, Ashkenazim (so-called "German Jews") and Sephardim (so-called "Spanish Jews") lived in close proximity for centuries, resulting in a cultural blend not found elsewhere. Most remarkably, the Dutch Jews were well accustomed to the sea, and ate seafoods considered not kosher by other Jewish communities. 19th Century Dutch Jews in London and The Rag Man's Children , published by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain Office for National Statistics, censuses of England and Wales, 1851 to 1901
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1158901177.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “name applied to jews who immigrated to london from the netherlands during the latter part of the 19th century”. Today it says “name applied to jews who immigrated to london from the netherlands in the mid-victorian era”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
name applied to jews who immigrated to london from the netherlands during the latter part of the 19th century
Now
name applied to jews who immigrated to london from the netherlands in the mid-victorian era
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
