letter in modern Jewish history and it begins with three words dear Lord Rothchild dear Lord Rothchild I have much pleasure in conveying to you on behalf of his Majesty’s government the following Declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to and approved by the cabinet why was it that this letter was sent by the foreign secretary to your great Uncle Walter it’s an interesting question because it was primarily a movement from Eastern Europe but they didn’t clarify who was in charge of that movement and in addition it was after all in Great Britain so they felt that the Rothchild family um should be the one to whom it was addressed and Walter was Lord Rothchild and he was a zist and um those rarely of the background reasons Walter received the bful Declaration and and I have a copy here and I wonder if I could possibly ask you to read it for us yes indeed yeah I’m going to put on my spectacles to make sure I’m read it accurately his Majesty’s government view with favor the establishment of Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use their best Endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which may Prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-jewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the zis Federation yours Arthur balfor and here it is the bfor Declaration what do you feel when you when you see it here I’ve genuinely feel it’s one of the most extraordinary moments in the history of the Jewish people if you think it took 3,000 years to get to this and then you say how did this miracle happened it’s the most incredible piece of opportunism I mean if you think you had an impoverished wouldbe scientist H bitman who somehow gets to England meets a few people including members of my family seduces them he has such great charm and conviction he gets to bfor and he unbelievably persuades bfor and Lloyd George the Prime Minister and most of the ministers that this idea of um the national home for um Jews should be allowed to take place I mean it’s so so unlikely and then he’s you know starts to fight a difficult battle with the British cabinet and this letter goes through five drafts as you know and in the end it comes out as a rather compromising letter I mean the essential point is there for um the Jewish Community to fasten on to you have the first bit which promises a national home rather than the national home and then you have the bit that nothing that’s to be done should in any way harm the Arab Community but you come back to the big point which is that this is perhaps the Great greatest event in Jewish life for thousands of years and a
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