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BOOK REVIEW
Friends in high places
A new book claims philosemitism in the British Isles is the basis of the Jewish state
By MICHAEL M. ROSEN
16 April 2012, 7:22 am
Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1808–1879) introduced in the House of Commons on 26 July 1858 by Lord John Russell and Mr. Abel Smith. (photo credit: painter Henry Barraud (1811–1874), public domain, wikipedia)
The People of the Book: Philosemitism in England, From Cromwell to Churchill
by Gertrude Himmelfarb
Encounter Books, 177 pages, $23.95
In “The People of the Book,” Gertrude Himmelfarb insightfully plumbs the depths of the philosemitic tendencies that washed over the British Isles centuries ago, including the deeply British roots of Zionism.
In her prologue, Himmelfarb, one of America’s foremost intellectuals, surmises that unlike the vast scholarship on anti-Semitism, “the literature on philosemitism… is meager,” an unfortunate tendency that “has the effect of debasing Jews… making them not subjects in their own right but the objects, if not of hatred and contempt, then of pity and pathos.”
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The intertwining of philo- and anti-Semitism traces to the very origins of the terms themselves in late 19th century Germany, where Wilhelm Marr first coined the term “antisemitismus” in his 1879 book, while the very next year, a German historian lambasted the “blind philosemitic zeal of the party of progress.”
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Similarly, the appreciation of 17th century English legal philosophers like John Selden for the Jewish origins of modern jurisprudence was matched in its intensity by the anti-Jewish animus of George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, who cursed the Jews as “Christ killers.” Milton himself embodied both strains, deeply admiring the Old Testament’s Hebrews while musing in The Christian Doctrine that, “on account of their sins,” the Jews “have been reserved in their scattered state, among the nations.”
This tension permeates Himmelfarb’s historical, social, and cultural analysis of the Jewish question in England.
Amidst the Glorious Revolution, Cromwell himself championed the Jews’ readmission into the United Kingdom centuries after their bloody expulsion. The Lord Protector admonished Englishmen “not to exclude them from the light,” urging that “this mean and despised people” should be “permitted to reside where the Gospel was preached.”
Later, Edmund Burke would write that the Jews “abandoned state and their defenceless situation call most forcibly for the protection of civilized nations.”
Equality in the political sphere arrived in the 19th century with unimaginable swiftness. Within the span of twelve mid-century years, England saw the admission of the first Jews to the bar, the certification of synagogues for performing marriages, the opening of the University of London to Jews, and the appointment of the first Jewish sheriff of London and the first Jewish baron.
Soon after, Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jew elected to Parliament, but could not be seated because he refused to swear the obligatory oath to crown and Christ. The debate that ensued nicely illustrates two competing strains of philosemitism.
Liberal Prime Minister John Russell appealed during the oath controversy to “the principles of Christianity… of love and charity, to do unto others as you would that others should do unto you.” Christianity’s role in politics, Russell contended, was to tolerate and make space in the public square for other faiths.
Meanwhile, the Jewish-born Tory Benjamin Disraeli painted the Jews as “the authors of your religion… those to whom you are indebted… for the whole of your divine knowledge.” Disraeli urged his fellow Christians to embrace Jews for expressly religious reasons.
In surveying 19th century literature, “People of the Book” also unearths a profound respect for the Jewish people. “As the political aspect of the Jewish question was amicably resolved,” Himmelfarb elegantly puts it, “so, too, the cultural and social aspects were, not resolved, to be sure, but much alleviated.”
Eliot in particular grew fond of the Jews, at one point anticipating Herzl by several decades in predicting the establishment of a ‘Jewish polity’ in their ‘homeland’
From Walter Scott’s “Ivanhoe” (“that unbending resolution with which Israelites have been frequently known to submit to the uttermost evils”); to Disraeli’s “Tancred” (“that Christianity was founded by the Jews; that its Divine Author, in his human capacity, was a descendant of King David… some attempt should be made to do justice to the race which had founded Christianity”); to George Eliot’s proto-Zionist “Daniel Deronda” (“restoring a political existence to my people, making them a nation again…though they too are scattered over the face of the globe”), esteemed English novelists expressed sentiments deeply sympathetic to the children of Abraham.
Eliot in particular grew fond of the Jews, at one point anticipating Herzl by several decades in predicting the establishment of a “Jewish polity” in their “homeland.”
Others, like the Earl of Shaftesbury, an Evangelical philosemite, also waxed enthusiastic about the ingathering of Jewish exiles, lamenting in the 1860s that “the nationality of the Jews exists; the spirit is there and has been for three thousand years, but the external form, the crowning bond of union, is still wanting.” Shaftesbury employed the famous phrase “a country without a nation [for]… a nation without a country” as early as 1854, long before it entered the Zionist lexicon.
Jewish-led Zionism likewise found fertile ground in the United Kingdom. Even before Herzl’s “Der Judenstaat” was published in Vienna, excerpts appeared in London’s Jewish Chronicle. Dr. Chaim Weizmann relocated from Russia to Manchester, a much more congenial perch for his Zionist activism.
Additionally, Lord Balfour, whose eponymous 1917 declaration gave rise to the modern Jewish legal claim to Palestine, proved a key strategic and philosophical ally. Even Lloyd George, prime minister during World War I, favorably likened the Jewish people to his fellow Welshmen as “small” but “very great” races.
Most prominently, Churchill became a true friend of the Jewish enterprise in Palestine, forcefully assailing as “another Munich” Chamberlain’s devastating 1939 White Paper, which, in strictly limiting Jewish immigration, ran counter to the Balfour Declaration and imperiled desperate European Jews.
Churchill would later urge Parliament to recognize the emerging state of Israel in 1949, declaring it “wonderful” that “this tiny colony of Jews should have become a refuge to their compatriots in all the lands where they were persecuted so cruelly.”
In her epilogue, Himmelfarb reflects briefly on the relative merits of full-blown philosemitism and more modest toleration, the latter being “sure less lofty than philosemitism, but it is more ‘clear and sure.’” Both notions were critical: “it was the combination of these principles that inspired the idea of a Jewish state.
Himmelfarb touches on Jewish self-criticism as the dark cousin of gentile praise for Judaism, noting that a Jewish cabinet member, Edwin Montagu, opposed the Balfour Declaration, prompting the emergence of the anti-Zionist League of British Jews. Such are the origins of contemporary sensibilities among the “enlightened” set of Jewish leftist intellectuals in today’s Britain.
“People of the Book” is an outstanding study of philosemitism that leaves the reader wanting even more. And while we can no longer be surprised at Jewish achievements on the British Isles, Himmelfarb shines a bright light on how they came about.
Michael M. Rosen is an attorney and writer in San Diego.
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Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers in the village of Al-Sila Al-Harithi, near the West Bank city of Jenin, May 7, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
Gantz says Israel needs Palestinian cooperation in probe of journalist’s death
By TOI STAFF
Ra’am Party leader MK Mansour Abbas attends the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 22, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Ra’am said unlikely to quit coalition, but will keep freeze in place
By TOI STAFF
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A Palestinian protester picks up a stone during clashes with Israeli police on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City on April 15, 2022. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Timing bomb: What the press is saying about fights and flights
By JOSHUA DAVIDOVICH
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev attends the funeral of 49-year-old Doris Yahbas, who was killed in a terror attack in Beersheba, at a cemetery in Moshav Gilat, on March 23, 2022. (Flash90)
Cops and ribbers: What the press is saying about terror, terrible jokes and Ukraine
By JOSHUA DAVIDOVICH
Illustrative: Ukrainian Jews who fled the Russian invasion are seen at Chisinau International Airport in Moldova as they make their way to Israel, March 6, 2022. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
Give me your huddled (Jewish) masses: What the press says about refugees and Ukraine
By JOSHUA DAVIDOVICH
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TALES OF THE TIMES
The Corps des ballet Dortmund Ballet brings its version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the Israeli Opera stage in the 2022/2023 season (Courtesy Leszek Januszew)
SINGING HIS PRAISES
Ode to Theodor Herzl to premiere at Israeli Opera
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine onstage in Tel Aviv on May 10, 2022, the band’s second performance in Tel Aviv (Screenshot/YouTube)
ONE MORE NIGHT
It took 20 years to visit Israel, but Maroon 5 vows to be back soon
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Israel’s U17 soccer players, taking part in the U17 Euro finals that begin May 16, 2022 (Courtesy Israel Football Association)
GETTING SOME KICKS
Promising young soccer players head to Israel for U17 Euro finals
By JESSICA STEINBERG
A portrait of Frida Kahlo, magnified many times over for ‘Frida Kahlo, The Life of an Icon,’ a global exhibit coming to Israel May 26, 2022 (Courtesy ‘Frida Kahlo, The Life of an Icon’)
HIGHBROW ART
Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits and life story come to Israel
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine onstage in Tel Aviv on May 9, 2022 (YouTube screenshot)
PAINTING THE TOWN
Maroon 5 shows love for Tel Aviv crowd at first of two shows
By TOI STAFF
A formally sunken boat sits on cracked earth hundreds of feet from what is now the shoreline on Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, May 9, 2022, near Boulder City, Nevada (AP Photo/John Locher)
‘MYSTIQUE OF LAS VEGAS’
Vegas mob history resurfaces: Plunging lake exposes human remains
By KEN RITTER
Sperm donor Ari Nagel who has helped create more than 100 children is the focus of documentary ‘The Baby Daddy’ screening at the DocAviv film festival opening May 26, 2022 (Courtesy YouTube screen shot)
THEATER OF WAR
Ukraine and Russia to take spotlight at 24th DocAviv film fest
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine visits at the Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 8, 2022 (Courtesy Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
WON’T GO HOME WITHOUT YOU
Maroon 5’s Adam Levine ‘super excited’ to be in Israel ahead of concerts
By JESSICA STEINBERG
The inside of a Tiberias synagogue converted into a cannabis nursery. (Israel Police)
HIGH SERVICES
Police find marijuana nursery in disused Tiberias synagogue
By TOI STAFF
Drone bee orchid, Ophrys holosericea, seen near to the Rakit parking lot in the Carmel mountains, May 7, 2022. (Sue Surkes/Times of Israel).
CREATING A BUZZ
If it looks like a bee and smells like a bee, it may be a flower
By SUE SURKES
The string quartet of Poland’s Mozart Group, bringing ‘Mozart Comes to Town’ to Israel on May 19-21, 2022 (Courtesy Nicolas Fagot)
EASY LISTENING
String quartet to bring lighter side of classical music to Israel
By JESSICA STEINBERG
‘Jerusalem Cafe,’ oil on canvas by Zavi Apfelbaum, part of her exhibit ‘Light, Life and the Land – Scenes from Israel that opens May 3, 2022 at Teatro Paesana in Turin, Italy (Courtesy Zavi Apfelbaum)
DIPLOMACY ON CANVAS
Artist offers small glimpses of Israeli life in dreamy oil paintings
By JESSICA STEINBERG
Finnish metal band Swallow the Sun will return to perform on May 21, 2022 in Israel (Courtesy Jussi Portraits)
WOVEN INTO SORROW
Finnish metal band Swallow the Sun to return to Israel
By DAVID SEDLEY
This Monday, May 26, 2014, photo shows a 7-year-old male Asiatic Cheetah, named ‘Koushki,’ at the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge in Jajarm, northeastern Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
SPOTTED
First birth of an Asiatic cheetah in captivity takes place in Iran
By AFP
Comedian Pete Davidson attends the premiere of ‘Big Time Adolescence’ at Metrograph, on March 5, 2020, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
NOTHING TO SEE HERE
Pete Davidson to star in autobiographical comedy with Yiddish title
By ANDREW LAPIN
US Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Second Spouse Douglas Emhoff and light a menorah on the first night of Hanukkah at their home in Washington, DC, on November 28, 2021. (Twitter)
EVER FAITHFUL
Doug Emhoff says being 2nd gentleman brought him closer to Judaism
By RON KAMPEAS
Michael Douglas at the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, in Los Angeles; Actress Debra Winger attends the New York Film Critics Circle Awards at Tao Downtown on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in New York (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP; Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
A TENDER TALE
Michael Douglas says Debra Winger lost movie role after biting him
By TOI STAFF
Rapper Nissim Baruch Black is now a fixture on Israel’s streets. (Courtesy)
BACK TO BLACK
HBO to produce comedy series about Hasidic rapper Nissim Black
By CALEB GUEDES-REED
French President Emmanuel Macron is protected by an umbrella after a projectile was thrown during a walkabout at the Saint-Christophe market square in Cergy, a Paris suburb, April 27, 2022. (Benoit Tessier, Pool via AP)
CHERRY BOMBED
Macron pelted by tomatoes as he visits market following reelection win
By AP
A group shot of the main characters in new costume melodrama ‘The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,’ coming to Netflix on May 20, 2022 (Courtesy Yes Studios)
ROYAL APPROVAL
Netflix picks up Ottoman-era Israeli drama ‘Beauty Queen of Jerusalem’
By JESSICA STEINBERG
FULL COVERAGECORONAVIRUS
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea Thursday, May 12, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korea confirms 1st COVID outbreak, imposes lockdown
By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM
Illustrative: A small green sea turtle makes his way through the sand towards the sea after hatching from a nest, at Palmachim Beach on August 17, 2020. (Mila Aviv/Flash90)
TOI PODCAST
Daily Briefing May 11: Israel’s biodiversity is in decline. So are COVID cases
By TOI STAFF
Illustrative image: a woman receives a coronavirus vaccine in Kimana, southern Kenya on Aug. 28, 2021. While vaccines have been rolled out in Africa, boosters are lacking there, as in many other parts of the world. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)
Israeli study shows importance of COVID boosters, lacking in much of the world
By NATHAN JEFFAY
Medical technicians test passengers for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion International Airport, on March 8, 2021. (Flash90)
Israel to scrap mandatory airport COVID testing on May 20
By TOI STAFF
Family members visiting a family member at the coronavirus ward of Ziv Medical Center in the northern city of Safed on February 15, 2022. (David Cohen/Flash90)
Israeli researchers warn of new international COVID wave, driven by Delta comeback
By NATHAN JEFFAY
An arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, on November 28, 2021, heads to a mandatory COVID test. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Israel said expected to soon scrap mandatory airport COVID tests for arrivals
By TOI STAFF
File: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House complex in Washington, on April 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
US Vice President Harris tests positive for COVID-19; Biden not a ‘close contact’
By ZEKE MILLER
Medical technicians test passengers for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion Airport, on March 8, 2021. (Flash90)
Second new Omicron subvariant detected among travelers — ministry
By TOI STAFF
A medical technician tests a traveler for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion Airport, on June 30, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Health Ministry says new COVID variant not raising alarms yet
By TOI STAFF
A technician collects swab samples for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion International Airport on March 2, 2022. (Yossi Aloni/ Flash90)
Health Ministry: 3 cases of new Omicron subvariant detected among arrivals in Israel
By TOI STAFF
Illustrative. A psychiatric hospital in France during the pandemic. (AP Photo/ Thibault Camus)
COVID patients with serious psychiatric record have double death risk: Israeli study
By NATHAN JEFFAY
A medical technician tests a traveler for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion Airport, on June 30, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Former COVID czar calls for end to airport tests for arrivals
By TOI STAFF
People walk past a sign instructing them to wear face masks in closed places, outside the Cinema City in Jerusalem, on August 12, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Israel’s indoor mask mandate ends after two years
By ALEXANDER FULBRIGHT and TOI STAFF
A resident staying at a temporary hospital converted from the National Exhibition and Convention Center to quarantine COVID-positive people squats near a propaganda poster calling for action against the pandemic in Shanghai, China on April 18, 2022.(Chinatopix via AP)
Surprisingly low Shanghai COVID death toll spurs questions of government cover-up
By HUIZHONG WU and DAKE KANG
This undated, colorized electron microscope image made available by the US National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, indicated in yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, indicated in blue/pink, cultured in the lab. (NIAID-RML via AP, File)
Study shows immunocompromised UK patient had COVID-19 for 505 days straight
By LAURA UNGAR
Face masks hang on a fence in Glilot, central Israel, on February 14, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
After two years, Israel scrapping indoor mask mandate from Saturday night
By ALEXANDER FULBRIGHT
White House COVID-19 Coronavirus Response Coordinator Ashish Jha poses for portraits in his office at the White House, on April 8, 2022. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images via JTA)
White House COVID czar: Israeli data shows efficacy of second booster for over-60s
By RON KAMPEAS
A Magen David worker takes a COVID-19 rapid antigen test from Israelis, at a Magen David Adom drive through complex in Jerusalem, on March 22, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Serious COVID cases dip below 200 for first time in over 3 months
By TOI STAFF
A sign for the Food and Drug Administration is seen in Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
In first, US authorities authorize COVID breathalyzer test
By AP
Eytan Stibbe pictured by SpaceX before the April 8 launch of the Dragon spacecraft at Cape Canaveral, Florida. (SpaceX)
TOI PODCAST
Daily Briefing April 13: Israel’s man beyond the moon & space-age medicine
By TOI STAFF
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