Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
54 | APRIL 22 • 2021
Churchill and Zionism
L
ast week, I wrote about Winston
Churchill on the 75th anniversary
of his famous “Iron Curtain” speech.
I noted the abundance of pages in the
William Davidson Digital Archive that
refer to Churchill, his actions and ideas,
as his career unfolded in the 20th century.
It is not an overstatement to say that the
modern world would be a different place
without Churchill.
Churchill has both sup-
porters and critics. Martin
Gilbert, the late preeminent
chronicler of Jewish history
(himself a Jew) in his book
Churchill and the Jews, con-
cluded that Churchill demon-
strated a lifelong commitment
to Zionism and opposition to antisemitism.
One can also find plenty of Churchill
quotes and actions lauding Jewish culture.
Michael Cohen, professor emeritus
from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, how-
ever, believes that Churchill’s affinity for
Jews was a constructed myth. Moreover,
several Churchill letters from 1937 were
recently uncovered where he made several
less-than-flattering comments about Jews.
I briefly wrote about Churchill’s impact
upon Metro Detroit but did not address a
larger question. What was his relationship
with Jews and his impact upon British
Mandate Palestine and the State of Israel?
The pages of the Chronicle and the JN
from the 1920s to 1940s have hundreds
of interesting stories related to Churchill
and British Mandate Palestine. This area,
which encompasses modern Israel, was
given to British control or “mandate” after
the conclusion of WWI. Several stories
in the Chronicle cite Churchill’s vigorous
defense of the Balfour Declaration and the
U.K.’s obligation to support a Jewish home-
land. He was an outspoken critic of the
Parliamentary “White Paper” in 1930 that
restricted Jewish immigration to Palestine.
In the 1940s, the Chronicle and the JN
closely followed the events of WWII. The
actions of Churchill — and Roosevelt and
other Allied leaders — appear on hundreds
of pages. It soon becomes obvious that
Churchill was the stubborn, inspiration-
al and tough wartime leader that Great
Britain needed.
Along with praise for his successes,
there are critical questions. For example,
why was Churchill so slow to authorize
a Jewish Brigade to fight in WWII? Why
did he not do more for Jewish refugees
from Nazi aggression, including increased
immigration to Palestine? Should
Churchill have
ordered the bomb-
ing of Auschwitz,
an act which some
thought might save
thousands of Jewish
lives even if incar-
cerated Jews might
be killed? By the way,
these same questions
were leveled against
Roosevelt and other
Allied leaders.
Like most great
world leaders, including
Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt, David Ben-
Gurion or Golda Meir, Churchill possessed
some sterling attributes, along with some
flaws in character. These other leaders also
had to deal with the politics of Congress,
Parliament or the Knesset, and they all
faced one overriding issue: wars of monu-
mental scale, wars that, if lost, could mean
the end of their nations. It is also always
good to keep in mind that they were prod-
ucts of their time, not of the 21st century.
In this context, Churchill was a realist.
On the balance, it seems that Churchill
was a supportive Zionist and opposed
antisemitism. The JN reached this same
conclusion upon his death — see the edito-
rial in the Jan. 29, 1965, issue.
But you can decide, and the Davidson
Archive is a good source for the history of
Churchill.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
from Nazi aggression, including increased
immigration to Palestine? Should
ordered the bomb-
an act which some
thought might save
thousands of Jewish
cerated Jews might
be killed? By the way,
these same questions
were leveled against
Roosevelt and other
world leaders, including
Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt, David Ben-
Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt, David Ben-
Gurion or Golda Meir, Churchill possessed
some sterling attributes, along with some
flaws in character. These other leaders also
had to deal with the politics of Congress,
faced one overriding issue: wars of monu-
mental scale, wars that, if lost, could mean
the end of their nations. It is also always
good to keep in mind that they were prod-
ucts of their time, not of the 21st century.
On the balance, it seems that Churchill
conclusion upon his death — see the edito-
But you can decide, and the Davidson
Archive is a good source for the history of
Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelt, David Ben-