In a rare interview conducted by the former Israeli ambassador to London, Daniel Taub, and published by the Jewish News newspaper on February 8, 2017, Jacob Rothschild, the patriarch of the famous Rothschild family in Britain, expressed his deep pride in his Jewish affiliation while speaking about the Balfour Declaration.
Rothschild described the announcement as a “miracle,” saying, “This was the most important event in the history of Jewish life for thousands of years, a true miracle. It took 3,000 years to achieve this goal.”
The Rothschild family has a long history of wealth and influence in many European countries, and a deeper connection to the Zionist cause since before its appearance., They had the greatest influence in resurrecting Israel as a national Jewish state in Palestine through extreme wealth and political and economic influence. Who are the most prominent of these figures who had a pivotal role in supporting Israel and its emergence?
Family origin
The origins of this family go back to the German city of Frankfurt, where it was formed by Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812), the prominent financial advisor to the Duchy of Hesse-Kassel.
In the late 18th century, Mayer launched a banking empire from the heart of the Free City of Frankfurt, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Unlike many European Jews, Mayer succeeded in building an international banking network, and left his financial legacy to his five children, each of whom established a major financial network in five major European cities: London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Naples. Thanks to its economic influence, the family rose to the ranks of nobility in the empire. Holy Roman, United Kingdom and France.
By the 19th century, the wealth of the Rothschild family had reached its peak, becoming the largest private wealth in the world at that time, and even in modern history. A number of members of this family from the British and French branches contributed to supporting Jewish immigration, the Zionist movement, and the establishment of Israel, to this day.
Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1808–1879): Founder of the Foundation
One of the most important members of this family and one of the first supporters of the Jewish and Zionist cause, he is from the British branch, where he used his financial and social influence to defend the rights of Jews in Britain and abroad.
Thanks to his wealth and influence, Lionel de Rothschild became in 1847 the first Jew elected to the British Parliament. He faced legal opposition because of the requirement to take an oath of allegiance, which included a reference to the Christian faith.
Meanwhile, Lionel led a long campaign that lasted more than a decade until 1858, when he was able to swear an oath in a way that allowed Jews to hold political positions. Despite the symbolism of this step, it was a major turning point in the British history of the Jews, as it opened the doors to further integration of influential Jews in life. Public.
In addition to his political efforts, Lionel contributed to promoting the welfare of European Jews, especially those who fled persecution in Eastern Europe and Russia. He established and supported charitable institutions to support Jewish education, such as the Jewish Free School in London, and financed projects to improve their living conditions.
On the economic side, Lionel invested in expanding the family business, providing a sustainable financial foundation to support efforts to defend Jews and their rights in Europe.
Alphonse James Rothschild (1827-1905): Oil tycoon and supporter of Jewish immigration
Alphonse was from the French branch of the family, and he was the eldest son of James Rothschild, founder of the family branch in Paris. His father was one of the major banking and finance tycoons and head of the family bank in Paris. He inherited from his father a huge fortune, which he succeeded in investing in the oil field, which was promising in the last quarter of the year. 19th century.
Despite his involvement in banking and investment, and his wide influence inside France when he was able to reform the economy and mediate reconciliation between France and Borussia (Germany) due to the War of 1870, he was able to have an influential role in supporting Jewish immigration to Palestine.
Alphonse Rothschild was the most active in supporting Jewish immigration and the early establishment of Israel, as the Rothschild family archives show that in the 1970s, the family, including himself, contributed approximately 500,000 francs annually to the benefit of the Eastern Jews.
Edmond de Rothschild (1845–1934): founder of agricultural settlement in Palestine
He is the third son of James Rothschild, founder of the family branch in Paris. Baron Edmond joined the family banking institution in 1868, and at the age of 32 he married his cousin Adelaide. Like his parents, he played a major role in many financial activities within the Jewish community and in supporting Jewish immigration to Palestine.
After the anti-Jewish uprising in Russia in 1881-82, Edmond worked with the French Committee to Help Russian Jews Migrate to Palestine, where his contributions to the yishuv (Jewish communities in Palestine) began in the early 1880s.
When the first moshavot (agricultural villages) established by a European Zionist organization called “Habibi Zion” faced serious financial difficulties, community members and representatives of the Yishuv requested urgent assistance for the settlers who had settled there. Baron Edmond de Rothschild agreed to cover all expenses of the settlements of Rishon Lezion and Zikhron Ya’akov. , Rosh Pina, and Ekron, in addition to providing aid to other settlements.
During a visit to the settlement of Zikhron Ya’akov in 1893, Edmond de Rothschild made clear his commitment to supporting the farmers who gathered there, saying, “I did not support you and take you under my care because of your poverty, no, but because of your passion to work and live in the Holy Land in accordance with the spirit of the Torah.”
Baron Edmond de Rothschild purchased large lands and real estate in Palestine and was the “godfather” of agricultural projects (the Moshavot) for the settlers. He sent European agricultural experts to advise and guide them. He and his descendants also supported 44 settlements, from Metula in the north to the farms of Batya (Ekron). ) in the south.
To this day, some of these settlements bear the names of the Rothschild family, such as Zikron Jacob, named after Baron James’s father (Jacob), Batya Farms, after the name of his mother Betty (Batya), and others.
Edmund’s interest did not stop at the agricultural settlement of the Zionists only, as he was convinced that the growing Jewish community in Palestine would eventually become a large bloc, and for this reason he invested his financial resources to develop industries, and with his help and the help of his grandchildren, the first industries and basic infrastructure such as wine factories and product factories were established. Agriculture, and even the first power plants, he was a major contributor to its establishment, and two of the wineries he founded were among the largest wineries in the world at that time.
Edmond de Rothschild also founded synagogues and schools for Jews in Palestine, and was one of the people who most encouraged the teaching and use of the Hebrew language, as he declared on one occasion, saying, “Here in the Land of Israel, I will be happy to hear Hebrew poetry.” He also encouraged the pioneer Jewish immigrants to preserve Their connections to Judaism.
He participated strongly in the activity of the Zionist movement during World War I, and in 1924 he founded the “Jewish Colonization Association of Palestine” (PICA), which managed the purchase of land in Israel, and appointed his son James as its president.
In honor of his efforts, he was personally appointed honorary president of the Jewish Agency for Israel in 1929, the agency that emerged from the Zionist movement to administer the civil and military affairs of the Jews in Palestine.
Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868–1937): inventor of the Balfour Declaration
He is the second Baron of the Rothschild family of the British branch. He was a famous zoologist in his time, and became a major collector and founder of the Rothschild Museum of Natural History in London.
He is the eldest son of Nathan Mayer Rothschild, the British banker who, through the loans he granted to Khedive Ismail in Egypt, contributed to the construction of the Suez Canal, and then the British government seized the lion’s share of it later when Egypt defaulted.
Lionel received his titles posthumously in 1937, and served as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1899 to 1910.
Although he retired from Parliament by 1910, he remained active as a prominent figure in the British Jewish community. He served as president of the English Zionist Federation, and was a close friend of Chaim Weizmann, the leader of the Zionist movement and the first president of the State of Israel after its establishment.
For this reason, he, Weizmann, Arthur Balfour and others sought to serve the Zionist movement and Jewish immigration to Palestine with all their might.
According to the book “Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How America Was Exploited to Create Israel,” by Alsen Ware, she confirmed that several examples of drafts of the Balfour Declaration were presented to Zionist leaders before arriving at the final version, and one of the most prominent seekers of that was Baron Lionel Rothschild.
The original draft that Lionel sent to Balfour proposed that “Palestine be re-established as a national home for the Jewish people,” but after objections within the Cabinet, the wording was amended to become more ambiguous, and at the same time in favor of the Zionist movement.
Finally, on November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour sent a letter to the greatest Jewish leader in Britain, Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, in which he pledged that Britain would stand by the Zionist movement in its quest to establish a homeland for the Jews in Palestine.
James Armand de Rothschild (1878–1957): Following in his father’s footsteps
James, the eldest son of Baron Edmond de Rothschild, preferred to deviate from the norm from a young age. He chose horse racing instead of engaging in his family’s banking business, and decided to embark on an adventure to Australia, where he lived as a worker far from the atmosphere of Europe and the influence of his famous family.
He later returned to France and joined the management of the family banking business. At the age of 35, he married Dorothy Pinto, an 18-year-old English girl from a Jewish family who would play a major role in supporting Israel after the death of her husband.
James was influenced by his father, Edmund, in his passion for the Zionist project, and his relationship with the movement increased after he met Chaim Weizmann, the leader of the Zionist movement, who became one of his closest allies.
During World War I, James served in the French army, then joined the British army and was sent to Palestine, where he rose to the rank of major. Near the end of the war, he led efforts to recruit volunteers for Jewish units within General Allenby’s forces, which earned him the Medal of Excellence.
He also gathered Jewish Legion volunteers within the British Army during World War I, then assumed the presidency of the Immigration Authority to Palestine, and in 1924 his father appointed him president of the PICA Foundation to support settlement in Palestine.
James was a member of the British Parliament for 16 years, where he played an important role in supporting Jewish settlement, and after his father’s death in 1934, he continued to develop the Beka projects and transferred their ownership to the emerging Israeli state.
He also financed the construction of the Knesset in Jerusalem, which was completed after his death, and contributed to the construction of a burial ground for his parents in the Ramat Hanadiv settlement, and after his death in 1957, his wife Dorothy continued to support Zionist activities for more than 3 additional decades.
Jacob Rothschild (1936–2024): continued support
Jacob Rothschild is from the British branch. He is the son of Victor Rothschild. His father was a politician and an agent in British Intelligence (MI5) during World War II, and a member of the British Parliament.
He contributed to supporting Israel financially, as was his family’s tradition, and for this reason, in 1971, he was awarded an honorary degree from Tel Aviv University for “promoting science, education, and the economy of Israel,” followed by an honorary degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1975.
His son Jacob is considered an extension of the family’s legacy of supporting Israel until the end of his life, as he died last April 2024.
Under Jacob’s leadership, his foundations have provided significant support to infrastructure and education projects in Israel, including support for universities and research institutions, and he has contributed to funding cultural projects that highlight and support Jewish heritage globally.
In an interview in 2017, Jacob considered that creating a “homeland” for Jews was an exceptional opportunity, and he pointed to the pivotal role of Chaim Weizmann, head of the World Zionist Organization, who frequently visited England and met with his family members to convince them of his idea.
He added, “He had a unique ability to persuade. He was able to obtain the Balfour Declaration, and he convinced James Balfour, Prime Minister Lloyd George, and most English ministers, that the idea of establishing a homeland for the Jews must be realized.”
Jacob also revealed the important role played by his cousin Dorothea Rothschild during that period, as he stressed that what she did as a teenager was of great importance, and explained that she was a link between Weizmann and the British establishment and helped him greatly to integrate into its circles, which is what he learned. quickly.