During the second war German Jews living in Britain were classified as enemy aliens, and in 1940 many were interned in camps on the Isle of Man.

The 3,000 “enemy aliens,” most of them Jews, who were rounded up in British coasting coastal districts on Sunday as a precaution against possible “fifth column” activities, have been turned over to the military authorities pending transportation to special camps, it was learned today. The Isle of Man was selected as the internment center, which was guarded by members of the Home Defense Corps.

Political prisoners were detained in high security camps, but most internees – including many Jewish refugees – were free to go shopping, swim in the sea and attend classes.

Although the Isle of Man Camps operated through 1945, the numbers of Jewish inmates dwindled steadily after March 1941, as they were offered the chance to enlist, or were released to work for the war effort.

These days, around 200 Jews live on the tiny island, mostly in the capital Douglas. This small community is without a synagogue, a rabbi, or a place to buy kosher food. However there is a Jewish Cemetery. In 2001 the Jewish community on the Isle of Man instituted its own Holocaust Memorial Day that is commemorated annually.