Page 6 - Balfour100-E

6 Foundations ✡

It is hard to exaggerate the impact that the Balfour Declaration had.

For the first time in more than 2,500 years a global power had declared

its support for the Jewish cause, and the Jewish community in Britain

was quick to express their gratitude at a remarkable gathering

Profound sentiments of joy

xactly a month after the Balfour Declaration was written, the Eng-
lish Zionist Federation arranged a meeting in central London to
E express their gratitude to the British Government for their initia-
tive. Since the time of Cyrus the Great, no major world power had showed
support for a Jewish return to their ancient homeland. With Britain’s global
influence at the time, this Declaration would have a huge effect upon the
nations of the world, as well as the Jewish people.

Among the speakers at the event
were the Rt. Hon. Lord Robert Cecil,
one of the architects of the League
of Nations and the Rt. Hon. Herbert
Samuel, who became the High Com-
missioner in Palestine from 1920-25
– the first Jewish person to govern the
area for 2,000 years. Another speaker
was Colonel Sir Mark Sykes, a govern-
ment advisor well-known because of
the agreement he made concerning the
Middle East with his French counter-
part, François Picot.
Speakers from the Jewish side in-
cluded Nahum Sokolow and of course,
Dr Chaim Weizmann. It is interesting
to note that a member of the Arme-
nian National Delegation also spoke,
along with two Arab representatives,
reminding us that the prospect of a
Jewish return to their homeland was
gratefully accepted by many Arabs at
the time. The meeting was chaired by
Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British
Jewish community, to whom the Balfour
Declaration had been addressed.
Dubbed ‘a Jewish Demonstration’,
the meeting programme contained a
resolution as shown left.