26—Friday, March 31; 1972

Sir __Lewis Namier—Historiographer, 'Zionist
and Chaim Weizmann's Devoted Friend

British Jewry's two -most noted
literary giants of the past three
decades were Sir Isaiah Berlin
and Sir Lewis Namier. Both -have•
rendered valuable services to
Zionism and in evaluating major
Jewish issues.
Lewis Namier passed away in
1960. He had authorized his wife
to compile the biographical data.
It was a labor of love as indicated
in "Lewis Namier—a Biography—
by Julia Namier." published by
Oxford Press.
Lady Namier's biography is
thorough. It covers the life of her
husband, his sad earlier marriage.
his struggles and successes, and
especially his devoted labors for
the Zionist movement and his
friendship with devotion to and
admiration for Chaim Weizmann.

Namier came from an ultra-
assimilated background. His
father was a convert to Chris-
tianity. An Incident recorded in
the Namier biography is about
a walk Namier took with Zal-
man Shazar (now president of
Israel), and he suddenly dis-
appeared—into a Christian ceme-
tery. When the shock arose,
Weizmann asked him where he
had gctif! and he explained that
it was to visit his father's grave,
and this "changed Shazar's as-
tonishment to stupefaction."
There is frankness in all the ex-

periences related about Namier
in this impressive biography, and
the role of a man so removed
from Jewish life yet, because an
activist in Zionism. lends signifi-
cance to a vital work about a great
intellectual.
Namier was called upon many
times to assist in Zionist efforts
during the pre-statehood struggles.
He was in the inner circles of the
movement and had been considered
for high directorial positions.
There were some clashes. One
was with Josiah Wedgwood. There
was incompatibility, "but neither
L (Lady Namier uses the L
throughout the book in reference
to her husband) nor Wedgwood
lost his warm regard for each
other."
Namier had gone to Israel to
work with Meyer Weisgal in set-
ting up a board of editors, of which
he was to be one, for the Weiz-
mann papers. Upon his return
from Israel, he was troubled by
the "Who is a Jew?" problem, and
whether the Yemenis and Iraqis
would lead, as Lady Namier puts it,
to "the Arabization of Israel's fin-
est achievement: the 'Jew who has
never known unfreedom'?" This
added comment is of additional in-
terest in Lady Namier's view of
her husband's attitude:

L wished the emerging nation
immensely well. Having striven
'with God and men' in the Sinai
campaign, it had won through;
as he had in his ludicrous Ito-
man bathroom, hung with all
those looking-glasses. But the Is-
raelis were not the people he
had sacrificed so much to; and
his distress for every one of them
was over. 'Who is a Jew?' had
been fiercely debated, while we
were in Israel. L hardly was

U.S. Aid to Syrian
Jews Promised

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Joseph J.
Sisco, the assistant secretary of
state for Near Eastern affairs,
promised that the U.S. government
will do everything possible through
diplomatic channels to alleviate the
plight of Jews in Syria.
Sisco spoke to members of the
raInfarann.
•••••••••••
L a a collICI11.3 us major
American Jewish Organizations at
a meeting in the State Department.
He declined to comment on Icing
Hussein's proposal to create an
Arab federation of Lite east and
woo oanks of the Jordan River.

..!

■

-

one in the emerging sense. Yet,
he continued a Semite, of course.
for what that was worth—a sport
the old atOck;
of
. as were no
doubt other Jews, and Arabs; of
whom too many were being de-
flected from the true task of
every inhabitant of the region
—the reclamation of deserts, ex-
acted by our planet's circum-
stances."

For an understanding of the per-
sonality of Namier it will be of
interest to turn to another very
valuable book dealing with the
era of Zionist planning and Israel
building. In his fascinating self-
study. "Meyer Weisgal . . . So
Far," (Random House) the genius
who has led the Weizmann Insti-
tute to great achievements, made
numerous references to both Sir
Isaiah Berlin and Sir Lewis Nam-
ier, and to other noted personal-
ities in Zionism. With reference to
the latter, he states in his new
book:

"Lewis B. Namier, one of Eng-
land's great historians and an
influential figure in modern his-
toriography, was to my mind the
strangest of the lot. He was an
East European Jew who never
lost his foreign accent, though
he mastered an English style in
writing almost peerless in its
lucidity and terseness. I don't
think he ever came to terms with
the fact that he was a Jew; some
claim that he was even anti-
Semitic. Weizmann could not
forgive him for converting from
Judaism in order to marry. I do
know that he could be arrogrant,
and was one of the most humor.
less men I ever met. He had
been a close associate of Weiz-
mann's for many years, but they
became quite estranged. Never-
theless he joined us eagerly on
the Letters. During our meetings
in London he asked to see me
privately. As he came into my

Yom Hashoa Tree
Planting Urged

NEW YORK — Meyer Pesin and
Abram Salomon, president and
executive vice president respective-
ly of the Jewish National Fund of
America, issued a statement urg-
ing American Jews to mark the
Day of Rememberance — Yom
Hashoa v'Hagvura — for Jewish
Martydom and Heroism, April 11,
with appropriate observances and
tree planting in memory of the
6,000,000 Jews who lost their lives
at the hands of the Nazis.

Jewish Survival Group
Denies Bomb Threats

NEW YORK (JTA)—An official
of the Committee for Jewish Sur-
vival repudiated charges Viat the
committee has been responsible for
false bomb threats at the banquet
on March 19 of the Mizrachi Or-
ganization of America, an Ortho-
dox Zionist group.
The committee is an add luic
group of Orthodox youth formed
to fight the present Law of Re-
turn of Israel over the issue of
official determination of Jewish-
ness in immigrants to Israel.

2 Colleges Offer Joint
Study Institute in Israel

NEW YORK (JTA) — Brooklyn
College and The Hebrew Univer-
sity of Jerusalem have . joined
hands again to sponsor a summer
institute allowing students the op-
portunity -- to earn up to nine
crafts while studying in Israel.
- It will focus on "Land and Cul-
tures of Israel," a four-credit, in-
terdisciplinary social- SCIence
`..";;;;;-;; That will utilize organized
tours as an integral part of the
requirements.

216 DETROg. JEWISH NEWS

--------------------------

room he said: 'I would like to
apologize to you.' Why the
apology?' I asked innocently. 'I
once called You Dr. Weizmann's
court jester.' I replied: 'I was
not offended. Even a court Jester
has his uses. "No; he insisted,
'I meant it in a derogatory way.
I have since discovered that you
are a serious person.' I appreci-
ated his good intentions, feeling
at the same time something in
common with those old-guard
Bolsheviks generously rehabili-
ated after 30 years in Siberia
or in the cemetery."

The Namier story by Lady
Namier is a welcome addition to
biographical data about eminent
Zionist leaders. The frankness in
Lady Julia's narration, the excel-
lence- of her research, the master-
ful use she made of her husband's
collected data make her work a
biography of distinct value about
a great historian who, in spite of
his assimilation, rendered great
services to the people he stemmed
from. —P. S.

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

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