May 8 1794 – 8 Iyar 5554
Sheva the Benevolent, an adaptation of English playwright Richard Cumberland’s The Jew; or the Benevolent Hebrew, premiered at the Drury Lane Theatre. The first English-language play to feature a Jewish moneylender as its hero, this work stood in stark contrast to the money-grubbing, evil Jewish stereotypes portrayed by such notables as Chaucer and Shakespeare. Cumberland’s effort ushered in a new era of positive, balanced depictions of Jews, concurrent with their rise and acceptance in English society.