. ▁Past imes ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁theatre ▁and ▁g amb ling ▁were ▁also ▁b anned . ▁However , ▁some ▁forms ▁of ▁art ▁that ▁were ▁thought ▁to ▁be ▁" vir tu ous ", ▁such ▁as ▁opera , ▁were ▁encourag ed . ▁These ▁changes ▁are ▁often ▁cred ited ▁to ▁Oliver ▁C rom well , ▁though ▁they ▁were ▁introduced ▁by ▁the ▁Commonwealth ▁Parliament ; ▁and ▁C rom well , ▁when ▁he ▁came ▁to ▁power , ▁was ▁a ▁liber alis ing ▁influence . ▁ ▁Jews ▁in ▁England ▁ ▁Rab bi ▁Men asse h ▁Ben ▁Israel ▁met ▁Oliver ▁C rom well ▁in ▁ 1 6 5 5 ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁discuss ▁the ▁ad mission ▁of ▁Jews ▁into ▁England . ▁C rom well ▁did ▁not ▁agree ▁to ▁all ▁the ▁rights ▁that ▁Ben ▁Israel ▁requested , ▁but ▁the ▁opening ▁of ▁Jewish ▁syn agog ues ▁and ▁bur ial ▁grounds ▁was ▁toler ated ▁under ▁C rom well ' s ▁Prote ctor ate . ▁The ▁Jewish ▁faith ▁was ▁still ▁not ▁pract ised ▁open ly ▁in ▁England , ▁since ▁C rom well ' s ▁move ▁had ▁been ▁controvers ial ▁and ▁many ▁in ▁England ▁were ▁still ▁host ile ▁toward ▁Jews . ▁Life ▁for ▁Jews ▁in ▁England ▁improved ▁in ▁that ▁they ▁could ▁no ▁longer ▁be ▁pro sec uted ▁if ▁caught ▁wor sh ipping , ▁yet ▁disc rim ination ▁continued . ▁ ▁Rad ical s ▁vs ▁conserv atives ▁ ▁Parliament ▁had , ▁to ▁a ▁large ▁degree , ▁encourag ed ▁the ▁radical ▁political ▁groups ▁which ▁emer ged ▁when ▁the ▁usual ▁social ▁controls ▁broke ▁down ▁during ▁the ▁English ▁Civil