Purely Commentary
An Eminent Lady and Her Distinguished Father
To have worked with Eva Mond—Marchioness of Reading—in Zionist ranks
and in the World Jewish Congress was a privilege. To have known her was a delight.
This tribute to her regrettably comes a bit late. Her memoirs were entitled "For The
Record," published by Hutchinson of London.
She had just approached her
78th birthday when she died in
London last week., Age was not an
obstacle to this eminent lady. To
her last days she was active as
chairman of the British section of
the World Jewish Congress. She
remained a dedicated Zionist dur-
ing her entire busy lifetime. She
continued to labor, unabated, in the
social services she was rendering.
Daughter of the late Lord Mel-
chett—Sir Alfred Mond—she con-
tinued a family tradition of serv-
ice to the Jewish people. She was
in the ranks of the major propo-
nents of Zionism and it should be
said to her credit that she was,
like her father, fearless in advanc-
ing the cause of Jewish national re-
birth. The actions of the British
Foreign Office never frightened
her. She spoke out frankly, fear-
lessly, demanding just rights for
her fellow Jews and adherence to
British pledges, as embodied in
the Balfour Declaration for the
establishment of the Jewish Na-
tional Home.
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As the daughter of Sir Alfred
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Mond, who was raised to the peer-
Drawing of Marchioness of Reading by Juliet
age and became the first Lord
Pannett, reproduced from "Twenty 20th Century
Melchett, she was already of no-
bility. She married into the family Jews" by Samuel J. Goldsmith.
of another great British Jew when
she became the wife of Gerald Reading, son of Lord Reading—Sir Rufus Isaacs—
who was lord chief justice of England and later viceroy of India. As the wife of
the second Lord Reading, as Marchioness of Reading, ,Eva Mond was in the highest
social circles in England.
Under all the circumstances of her in-
volvement in the social whirl of England, in
the midst of many political interests that
inevitably came her way, she retained her
Jewish interests, and her gifts to Jewry and
to Israel were immense. They have left
their marks in England and are indelible
in Israel where she established her home
in the area in which her father created a
Palestinian Mond-Melchett stake.
Her story was told brilliantly in her
memoirs. "For the Record—The Memoirs
of Eva, Marchioness of Reading," is a
fascinating autobiography in which Jewry
is reminded of the gifts of her eminent
father and the great role the Monds played
in Zionism.
Especially noteworthy in this story is
Sir Rufus Isaacs—First Marquess of
Lady Reading's description of her having
Reading
adopted the Jewish faith. She and her
brother were raised as Christians by a Catholic mother. There is no doubt that the
father's attitude and Jewish loyalties had their effects upon them, but Alfred Mond
never exerted pressure upon his children and the religious training was left to their
mother. But her brother Henry, who was to succeed his father to the peerage, and
she adopted their father's faith and their loyalties were affirmed by their deep in-
terest in Zionism.
Eva announced her intention to become a Jew and to be converted to Judaism
by Dr. Maurice Perlzweig. She planned to do it on her own, without telling her brother.
Simultaneously, however, the news appeared in the London Evening Standard, in
September, 1933, under the heading: "Peer Becomes Jew." Thus both adopted the
faith of the eminent Zionist simultaneously.
How she and her brother Henry—who became the second Lord Melchett upon
his father's death—became Jews is told in a very moving portion of her book. Rabbi
Maurice Perlzweig did the converting and the two Monds became deeply rooted in
Jewish ranks. Henry was like his sister Eva in his interest in Zionism.
The Marchioness of Reading states in her autobiography that the conversion
brought great pain to her mother. She remained silent when her mother said to her:
"Eva, how could you? How could you?" The story of the conversions relates:
"When I consulted Dr. Perlzweig, the rabbi of the Liberal Synagogue in St.
John's Wood, he told me: 'You should not enter the Jewish faith unless you feel
that it is necessary for your spiritual life, that you want to belong, that you feel
so 'attached to this tradition that you cannot live without it.' Then he added: 'As far
as the Jewish community is concerned, or at least for that part of it for which I
speak, or the Zionist movement, your services are appreciated. As a friend, you do
not have a ticket of admission to become a Jewess.'
"He also told me that there was no missionary movement among the Jews.
`On the contrary,' he said, 'there is an old Jewish belief that the righteous of all
peoples have a place in the world to come.'
"Then something happened which hastened my decision. One afternoon in mid-
September 1933, the London Evening Standard placarded the streets with the an-
nouncement—Peer Becomes Jew'. I read with astonishment that Henry had been
accepted into the Jewish faith, without saying a word to me.
"When I contacted Dr. Perlzweig he told me that Henry had asked him not
to mention to anyone the step he had taken. He had avoided telling me because he
did not wish to influence me in any way. The only person who knew was his wife Gwen.
The story of Henry's conversion had reached the newspaper in a roundabout
way. Dr. Perlzweig, quite correctly, had informed the governing body of the synagogue
of the step which Henry had contemplated. A member of the governing body then
told his brother-in-law who was on the staff of the Evening Standard. Henry was
2 Friday, August 24, 1973
—
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Eva Mond, Marchioness of Reading, One of the Great
Ladies of Our Time . . . Her Courage in Defying British
Obstructionism in Palestine . . . Notable Family Record
By Philip
Slomovitz
very upset by the premature announcement, because he had hoped to inform the
members of his family before an official announcement was made.
"I was, as Dr. Perlzweig recalls, very unhappy that Henry had taken the
step before me. I felt that the Jewish community would ask themselves why I had
not made my profession at the same time as my brother. I decided therefore to make
my intention public as soon as possible.
"On the day of my initiation Perlzweig came to fetch me by car. Gerald had
gone away for a brief holiday and I was on my own. The ceremony in the St. John's
Wood synagogue was brief and simple. Perlzweig had arranged for two sponsors-
drawn from his congregation, to stand by my side. I had no relative with me.
"Later, Dr. Perlzweig described Henry's and my re-identification with the
Jewish People as 'an act of heroic resolution', but, for us, it was a homecoming. When
I returned to my house, I felt as if a great weight had been lifted from m' :tad
made peace with myself.
"After the blaze of publicity had died down, I turned to Henry to ask him
why he had not told me of the step he had taken. 'We could have done it together,'
I said.
"I could have anticipated his answer: 'Eva,' he said, 'I did not want to
influence you.'
"Very soon afterward. Henry, his wife Gwen and I went to a small syna-
gogue in North London for the Yom Kippur service. This is one of the holiest days—
the Day of Atonement. The synagogue, as I recall, was small and far from fashionable.
I remember the hard wooden chairs and the corrugated roof on which the rain
rattled. I said to myself as I glanced round the unfamiliar surroundings: 'Dear me.
I have given up Westminster Abbey for this!'
It was not easy to take on a new form of observance in middle age. Familiarity
of words, tunes, even the physical attitudes, are part of the pattern of worship. I
remember that it worried me that when we prayed we did not sink down on our
knees and cover our faces with our hands; it seemed impossible to do so, sitting up
straight. So I sat back and allowed the service to wash over me, without making
any at tempt to reason. Towards the closing part of• the service I was stirred as if
some deep roots, of which I had been unaware, were being watered.
Nowadays I never miss Yom Kippur; I have attended services in many parts
of the world, in Venice, Milan, Ottawa, not only as a religious duty but as a com-
munal one. The communal aspect was uppermost in my mind during the first years.
Our fathers had kept this day in the face of per-
secution and physical danger. Latterly, it has
become a spiritual experience that I would not
miss."
The Marchioness of Reading's autobiography
is such an impressive chapter in Zionist history
that it must be viewed not only as the story of
the life of a great lady but especially as a record
of the Mond role in Zionism. It contains the cor-
respondence Alfred Mond had with Felix War-
burg, Chaim Weizmann and others during the
struggle for just rights for Jews and for adher-
ence to the pledges that were embodied in the
Balfour Declaration, the San Remo decision after
World War I and other historic events.
There are the records of Mond's journeys to
the United States to address Zionist meetings,
notably a major rally in Carnegie Hall in New
York. The text of that address remains one of
the major declarations of loyalty to Jewry by
one of Britain's most distinguished leaders.
It was a courageous family. It rendered
great service. Eva, Marchioness of Reading kept
inspiring her fellow workers in the World Jewish
Congress. During the war Eva rendered such im-
mense services in caring for the needy in Eng-
land, in providing comfort for the children who
were endangered during the bombings, that the
Melchett name is linked inseparably with most
humanitarian tasks rendered by British Jews.
Sir Alfred Mond—the first Lord
Her name certainly remains indelible in Zionist
Melchett
and Jewish history.
-
Evidences of Anti-Israel Bias in the Press
Criticisms are always to
be encouraged, and Israel's
role may not always be
above reproach. There have
been condemnations of Is-
rael that were deplorable,
yet some of the Jewish
state's actions may have
merited rebuke. But attacks
must be based on truth and
reality. Unfortunately, bias
has run amok in many
quarters.
A typical example of poor
taste is the London Times
editorial in which the United
States was advised "to re-
examine its attitude to Is-
rael." It is a viewpoint that
could be expected from the
Arab terrorists and from
those who seek Israel's de-
struction. From British
quarters this merely adds
to a record ascribable to
Great Britain.
The British record as
mandatory power in Pales-
tine was bad enough. It en-
couraged intransigence; it
failed to facilitate the es-
tablishment of the Jewish
National Home, as pledged
in the Balfour Declaration.
The last days of the British
in Palestine were cruel to
the Yishuv.
There also is an accumu-
lation of enmities toward
Israel by the British in the
United Nations. It was Brit-
ain, together with France,
that co-sponsored the latest
resolution threatening Israel
with sanctions.
From such sources, ad-
vice to the U.S. to curtail
friendship with Israel is an
expression in very poor
taste.
A similar instance of bad
judgment and poor sports-
manship is to be found in
the columns of the Christian
Science Monitor. There have
been charges that the Mon-
itor has been unjust in
treating the Israel position
in the Middle East.
An example of such bias
has just been offered in the
reports of the hijacking of
a Libyan plane by a de-
mented Libyan. Within
hours after that plane land-
ed in Lydda Airport in Is-
rael, the passengers were
on their way again to Bei-
rut. But the first report in
the Monitor, on Friday, en-
couraged the suspicion that
an Israeli had inspired the
hijacking.
Even after it was ascer-
tained that the hijacker was
a deranged Libyan, on Mon-
day, the Monitor carried a
long report from its Beirut
correspondent which could
be interpreted as giving
credence to the char -, that
hi-
Israel engineered
jacking. The headlh., was
in itself damaging. It stated:
"Arabs now accuse Israelis
of staging hijack of air -
liner." With all the facts re-
garding the role of the de-
ranged Libyan already es-
tablished by that time, what
the Monitor did was inex-
cusable.
The antagonistic attitude
of pilots' organizations who
now inconsistently seek to
harm Israel for an act of
self-defense while they have
failed to act against Arab
terrorists who have mur-
dered tourists and have
destroyed planes is addi-
tionally deplorable.
These are evidences of
bias the suspicious and prej-
udiced seem to be unable
to shake off. It is most de-
plorable. It adds to sus-
picion and does not dis-
courage terror. It certainly
does not inspire greater of
forts to peace by Arabs.
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