Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship (review)

A great many books have been written about Winston Churchill, in part because the story of Churchill’s life intersects with many of the most important events of the twentieth century. Sir Martin Gilbert’s Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship is yet another illustration of Churchill’s pervasive influence on these events. The central part of this story is Churchill’s support for the Zionist movement, which led eventually to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Gilbert sets this fascinating and lesser known tale in the context of the world wars and, more importantly, within the political struggle of conflicting interests and opinions.

Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph, had bucked the antisemitic sentiment widespread in the British upper classes by maintaining friendships with several prominent Jews. Churchill continued in his father’s footsteps with personal and political contacts throughout his life. What is more, Churchill became the figure in British politics most central to Jewish concerns both inside and outside Britain. His first political involvement in Jewish concerns came in 1904 as Member of Parliament for Manchester North-West where a third of his constituency was Jewish. He fought successfully against the Conservative Government’s Aliens Bill aimed at restricting the immigration of Jews fleeing Tsarist Russia. Churchill’s defense of Jewish rights in Britain was an important element of his tenure as Home Secretary beginning in 1910. Beyond domestic politics, Churchill was a supporter of Jewish aspirations for a national home even before the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

The Balfour Declaration, named for A. J. Balfour, Foreign Secretary in Lloyd George’s Government, pledged British support for the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. That support was given in the hope that both American and Russian Jewry would aid the British war effort: Russia would be encouraged to stay in the war, and the military participation of the United States would be accelerated. Churchill was grateful for Jewish efforts and was adamant that the Declaration, which he viewed as the solemnly pledged word of Britain to the Jews, “could not be set aside when, in later years, it became awkward to fulfill” (p. 28). He pursued the fulfillment of this promise in the face of many practical difficulties and much political opposition.

Churchill’s post-war positions in the British Government made him a central figure in the realization of Zionist aspirations. As Secretary of State for War, he had responsibility for Palestine, which was still under British military administration, and had to deal with the difficulties involved in the disposition of the lands previously governed by the Ottoman Empire. In 1921, Churchill was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies and continued his administrative duties over the British Mandates of Palestine and Mesopotamia. During his tenure, the borders of Palestine and the Arab kingdoms were set, Jewish immigration keyed to the productive capacity of the land was ongoing, and practical steps to expand that capacity were encouraged. It was Churchill who authored the 1922 White Paper which, when approved by the League of Nations, internationally guaranteed the Jewish National Home in Palestine.

Zionism had its opponents both in Britain and the Middle East. Arab opposition grew with the Jewish population of Palestine, breaking out in violent attacks targeting both Jews and the British. In 1939, Neville Chamberlain’s Government, in response to Arab pressure, issued a White Paper which limited Jewish immigration to Palestine. Its aim was to ensure a permanent Arab majority there, effectively eliminating the possibility of an eventual Jewish state. Churchill spoke strongly “against what he believed was both a betrayal of the Balfour Declaration, and a shameful act of appeasement” (p. 158).

The Second World War did not drive Zionism from Churchill’s mind; in fact, it magnified its importance. The need to recall British troops stationed in Palestine, the need to find a place for Jewish refugees from Europe, and moral outrage at the horrors...