Imperial longings and promised lands

<p>This thesis concentrates on two discrete contexts in which Jewish and imperial concerns converged: the Boer War and the British Mandate for Palestine. For Britain's Jews, the Boer War represented a rare and uncomfortable moment in which the Jewish Question achieved relative prominence...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Schnitzer, S, Schnitzer, Shira Danielle
Other Authors: Rechter, D
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2007
Subjects:
_version_ 1826275538288771072
author Schnitzer, S
Schnitzer, Shira Danielle
author2 Rechter, D
author_facet Rechter, D
Schnitzer, S
Schnitzer, Shira Danielle
author_sort Schnitzer, S
collection OXFORD
description <p>This thesis concentrates on two discrete contexts in which Jewish and imperial concerns converged: the Boer War and the British Mandate for Palestine. For Britain's Jews, the Boer War represented a rare and uncomfortable moment in which the Jewish Question achieved relative prominence. However the war also generated a different set of 'Jewish questions', leading the Anglo-Jewish establishment to refine its own understanding of patriotic and imperial duty. The case of Palestine, by contrast produced less straightforward and predictable outcomes. Ottoman entry into World War I, which prompted both British and Zionist considerations into the merits of a Jewish homeland as part of the imperial system, created an acute conflict for British Jewry's communal leadership. Although not negating the advantages of a British-Jewish Palestine either to the Empire or to Jews in need of refuge, its decision to oppose the Balfour Declaration privileged at some cost a distinctive reading of Jewish interests over a more obvious synthesis of national and sectarian goals.</p> <p>Despite continued objections to Zionism's ideological outlook and its pursuit of statehood, the Anglo-Jewish establishment located in the interwar development of a British-Jewish Palestine a means to advance both Jewish communal and imperial agendas. As the alliance between the Zionists and Britain unravelled in the final decade of the Mandate, British Jews eager to safeguard their position as well as their vision of Palestine's future would persist in defending this relationship.</p> <p>In its exploration of the evolution of Anglo-Jewish attitudes towards Britain, the Empire and Mandatory Palestine, this thesis aims to address both thematic and chronological gaps in the historiography of Anglo-Jewry. By drawing attention to the uniqueness of Anglo-Jewry's imperial connection to Palestine and to the domestic impact of British involvement, my work also contributes to scholarship on Zionism and the Mandate Finally, it offers a framework for considering the impact of, and relationship to, Empire of minority groups residing in Britain.</p>
first_indexed 2024-03-06T23:00:14Z
format Thesis
id oxford-uuid:61db8aca-0ade-422f-9ba4-5afcbc1f3d25
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T23:00:14Z
publishDate 2007
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:61db8aca-0ade-422f-9ba4-5afcbc1f3d252022-03-26T18:02:33ZImperial longings and promised landsThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:61db8aca-0ade-422f-9ba4-5afcbc1f3d25ColoniesHistoryPublic opinionJewsZionismPalestineForeign relationsSouth African War, 1899-1902Foreign public opinion, BritishPolitics and governmentImperialismGreat BritainEnglishPolonsky Theses Digitisation Project2007Schnitzer, SSchnitzer, Shira DanielleRechter, D<p>This thesis concentrates on two discrete contexts in which Jewish and imperial concerns converged: the Boer War and the British Mandate for Palestine. For Britain's Jews, the Boer War represented a rare and uncomfortable moment in which the Jewish Question achieved relative prominence. However the war also generated a different set of 'Jewish questions', leading the Anglo-Jewish establishment to refine its own understanding of patriotic and imperial duty. The case of Palestine, by contrast produced less straightforward and predictable outcomes. Ottoman entry into World War I, which prompted both British and Zionist considerations into the merits of a Jewish homeland as part of the imperial system, created an acute conflict for British Jewry's communal leadership. Although not negating the advantages of a British-Jewish Palestine either to the Empire or to Jews in need of refuge, its decision to oppose the Balfour Declaration privileged at some cost a distinctive reading of Jewish interests over a more obvious synthesis of national and sectarian goals.</p> <p>Despite continued objections to Zionism's ideological outlook and its pursuit of statehood, the Anglo-Jewish establishment located in the interwar development of a British-Jewish Palestine a means to advance both Jewish communal and imperial agendas. As the alliance between the Zionists and Britain unravelled in the final decade of the Mandate, British Jews eager to safeguard their position as well as their vision of Palestine's future would persist in defending this relationship.</p> <p>In its exploration of the evolution of Anglo-Jewish attitudes towards Britain, the Empire and Mandatory Palestine, this thesis aims to address both thematic and chronological gaps in the historiography of Anglo-Jewry. By drawing attention to the uniqueness of Anglo-Jewry's imperial connection to Palestine and to the domestic impact of British involvement, my work also contributes to scholarship on Zionism and the Mandate Finally, it offers a framework for considering the impact of, and relationship to, Empire of minority groups residing in Britain.</p>
spellingShingle Colonies
History
Public opinion
Jews
Zionism
Palestine
Foreign relations
South African War, 1899-1902
Foreign public opinion, British
Politics and government
Imperialism
Great Britain
Schnitzer, S
Schnitzer, Shira Danielle
Imperial longings and promised lands
title Imperial longings and promised lands
title_full Imperial longings and promised lands
title_fullStr Imperial longings and promised lands
title_full_unstemmed Imperial longings and promised lands
title_short Imperial longings and promised lands
title_sort imperial longings and promised lands
topic Colonies
History
Public opinion
Jews
Zionism
Palestine
Foreign relations
South African War, 1899-1902
Foreign public opinion, British
Politics and government
Imperialism
Great Britain
work_keys_str_mv AT schnitzers imperiallongingsandpromisedlands
AT schnitzershiradanielle imperiallongingsandpromisedlands