Lonnie, I�m sure Octavius posted a perfectly reasonable answer here, but it�s gone. Or am I mistaken? I tried to post my reply several times last night, but to no avail, so I�ll try again. Here goes!
In my view, whilst most of the people you were talking to were influenced by politics, it seemed quite clear that at least one person was just plain prejudiced. Both politics and religion do funny things to people's minds - and mixed they can produce a plethora of irrationality. Now to the question. I haven't met many ultra-orthodox Jews, for obvious reasons, but I've known several orthodox Jews, some of whom have been my good friends for many years. In fact one of my bridesmaids at my first wedding was an orthodox Jew - and she loved being a part of a Christian wedding - as did the rest of her family. In my experience, if a Jew accepts you as a friend, then you are as one of the family and you are a friend for life. I love them. As friends, they are the kindest and the most caring people you could wish to meet.
I know the question relates to Jews in England, but I would like to add that Jews in Israel I find to be generally aloof, unfriendly, and unhelpful.
Weeal, I'm pleased you said that. You need to see the holocaust museums in New York, and more especially in Israel, to really realise what the holocaust was all about - and then, to be perfectly honest, we're the lucky ones, because none of us can really ever understand what those people suffered. Man's capacity for cruelty to his fellow man is truly, truly unbelievable. Absolutely heart breaking.
Sorry, I went off track there a bit.