Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship

Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship by Gilbert, Martin. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780805078800.

An insightful history of Churchills lifelong commitment--both public and private--to the Jews and Zionism, and of his outspoken opposition to anti-Semitism Winston Churchill was a young man in 1894 when Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, was convicted of treason and sent to Devils Island. Despite the prevailing anti-Semitism in England as well as on the Continent, Churchills position was clear: he supported Dreyfus, and condemned the prejudices that had led to his conviction. Churchills commitment to Jewish rights, to Zionism--and ultimately to the State of Israel--never wavered. In 1922, he established on the bedrock of international law the right of Jews to emigrate to Palestine. During his meeting with David Ben-Gurion in 1960, Churchill presented the Israeli prime minister with an article he had written about Moses, praising the father of the Jewish people. Drawing on a wide range of archives and private papers, speeches, newspaper coverage, and wartime correspondence, Churchills official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, explores the origins, implications, and results of Churchills determined commitment to Jewish rights, opening a window on an underappreciated and heroic aspect of the brilliant politicians life and career.