GREAT BRITAIN, PALESTINE AND THE JEWS Jewry's Celebration of its National Charter UNIV. OF THE ZIONIST ORGANISATION: LONDON BUREAU 1918 D5149 25 THE CHARTER OF ZIONISM LETTER FROM THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT The following are the terms of the letter to LORD ROTHSCHILD in which MR. A. J. BALFOUR, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, declared the sympathy of the British Government with Zionist aspirations and its favourable attitude towards the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people: FOREIGN OFFICE, November 2, 1917. DEAR LORD ROTHSCHILD, I have much pleasure in conveying to you on behalf of His Majesty's Government the following Declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations, which has been submitted to and approved by the Cabinet: "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment. in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing nonJewish communities in Palestine or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country." I should be grateful if you would bring this Declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. Yours sincerely, (Signed) ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR. THE PREFACE HE Declaration by the British Government in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a National Home for the Jewish people constitutes the greatest event in the history of the Jews since their dispersion. The manner in which this Declaration has been received and celebrated in Jewish communities both here and abroad has been marked by boundless enthusiasm and overflowing gratitude. But for the fact that the world is still groaning under the scourge of war the rejoicings by the Jewish people would do btless have assumed a much more imposing and jubilant character. But the record presented in this publication shows that the House of Israel is fully conscious of the high significance of the pledge of the British Government concerning its restoration. This pamphlet is intended to give a brief and comprehensive survey of the various forms of celebration in Jewry in honour of the promulgation of the British Charter of Zionism. It is inevitably confined to the events and utterances of the first few weeks following the publication of Mr. Balfour's historic letter, and cannot therefore include an adequate account of the celebrations in other lands. But it is worthy of ncte that in addition to the countless secular A 2 380055 celebrations, the synagogues also took cognizance of the Government declaration. Although a political document, Mr. Balfour's letter proclaims the forthcoming fulfilment of what has always been a religious ideal in Jewry; and it was therefore but right that the letter should have been read in numerous synagogues during the Sabbath service and formed the text of countless sermons. GREAT BRITAIN, PALESTINE AND THE JEWS. RESOLUTIONS, STATEMENTS, AND MESSAGES OF ZIONIST ORGANISATIONS. ENGLISH ZIONIST FEDERATION. The Pronouncement of the British Government was received with enthusiasm and expressions of profound gratitude by Zionist Organisations in all the principal Jewish centres of the world. The English Zionist Federation held a special meeting three days after the date of Mr. Balfour's letter, and unanimously adopted the following resolution : 66 Resolved that the Executive Council of the English Zionist Federation has received with heartfelt joy and thanks the report of Dr. Weizmann, the President, on the issue of a Declaration by His Majesty's Government in support of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and that it sincerely congratulates the President on having, in conjunction with Mr. Sokolow, brought about this most momentous achievement towards the realisation of the national aspirations of the Jewish people. Further, that the Executive Council begs the hon. officers to convey to His Majesty's Government, on behalf of the English Zionist Federation, an expression of the respectful and profound sentiments of gratitude evoked among English |