Trudy Gold
Churchill and the Jews, Part 3
Summary
In the third session on Churchill, Trudy Gold focuses on a controversial period when Churchill was the colonial secretary for Palestine. Discussing the Balfour Declaration, she emphasizes its complexity and controversy. The lecture delves into the historical context of World War I, the major powers, the beginning of the decline of the British Empire and the rise of the US. The intricate geopolitical landscape of the time is highlighted, setting the stage for the issues surrounding Palestine. Part 3 of 3.
Trudy Gold
Trudy Gold was the CEO of the London Jewish Cultural Centre and a founding member of the British delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Throughout her career she taught modern Jewish history at schools, universities, and to adult groups and ran seminars on Holocaust education in the UK, Eastern Europe, and China. She also led Jewish educational tours all over the world. Trudy was the educational director of the student resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and “Holocaust Explained” and the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilization.
I think Churchill did have morality, but there were British politicians, people like Josiah Wedgwood, there were many of them. You have a very difficult question to ask yourself. Is private morality a different kind than the morality of states? Do we expect our politicians to act with the kind of morality we would hope private individuals act? It’s such a knotty, thorny problem.
There was a total contradiction. Herbert Samuel said it in 1921, “what does the Balfour Declaration mean?” And yes, it seems the colonial office and the foreign office were working across purposes. It was a total contradiction and confusion. It’s not helped by the British officers in Palestine, but becoming more and more arabist.