The Balfour Declaration of 1917 and
Society's Rights and Responsibilities
concerning Religion
Ammon Jensen
Junior Division
Individual Website
Choosing my topic
When I first started thinking about this project, I looked at a list of example topics, one of
which was “Mormons and Freedom of Religion.” However, I knew that I wanted to go to
state and national competitions for a second time, and this topic would be common in
my state (Utah), making it hard to win the state competitions. I still liked the idea of
freedom of religion being my topic, but I knew it needed to be more specific. I
remembered that last year, a project at nationals was related to the creation of Israel.
After some research on this, I found out about the Balfour Declaration, and decided that
that would be a good topic.
Conducting research
Conducting research was challenging. I found a lot of information on Jewish
Virtual Library, a website of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, as well as
chapters of Holy Wars: 3000 Years of Battles in the Holy Land by Gary L. Rashba and
Bible and Sword: England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour by Barbara W.
Tuchman. One other very useful source was Chronicling America by the Library of
Congress, which provided records of old newspapers.
Choosing my category and creating my project
I have made websites before, such as a website for my Scout troop. This
experience in website building led to my decision to make a website this year. To build
the website, I used the NHD Weebly site at nhd.weebly.com. I made an outline that laid
out what web pages would contain what information. While I didn’t follow this outline
entirely, it helped me in the general layout of the website. Also, in order to show the
growth in Jewish population in Palestine, I used Microsoft Excel to make a line graph
(shown on the “Impact” page).
Relating to the theme
The events shown in my project relate to the theme (Rights and Responsibilities
in History) because it teaches us lessons on religion and religious tolerance. It teaches
us that while people have an inalienable right to freedom of religion, whave the
responsibility to be tolerant of other religions and their beliefs. The British was
upholding the Jews’ right to freedom of religion by establishing a national homeland in
Palestine for the Jews. However, when the Arabs revolted against the Jews, the results
showed that tolerance is best. It also teaches us that while it is fine for a government
official to make decisions based off of his or her religion, the government should
probably not be biased towards a particular religion.
Works Cited
Primary Sources
Abraham, Shimrit. “Horizon.” Flickr. N.p., 30 Oct. 2006. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimrit/283807160/>. This is a picture of the British military
cemetery on Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem. From this I learned that quite a few British
soldiers died in World War I in Jerusalem. I used this in multiple places on my website.
Bain News Service. Dr. Chaim Weizmann. N.d. Prints and Photographs Division. Lib. of Cong.,
Washington. LC-B2- 6094-15. Library of Congress. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ggb2006011931/>. This is a photo of Dr. Chaim
Weizmann. From this I learned what Dr. Weizmann looked like. I used this in my
“background” section.
Balfour, Arthur James. “Balfour Declaration.” Letter to Edmond James De Rothschild. 2 Nov.
1917. The Avalon Project. Lillian Goldman Law Lib., Yale U., New Haven. The Avalon
Project. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. <http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/balfour.asp>. From
this I learned the exact text of the Balfour Declaration. Also, I learned what day the
Balfour Declaration was written (November 2, 1917). The Balfour Declaration was simply
a letter to Baron Edmond James de Rothschild. It is important because this is one of the
focuses of my project. Also, the last paragraph states, “I should be grateful if you would
bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.” This led me to
research about the Zionist Federation.
Entry of Field Marshall Allenby, Jerusalem, Dec. 11th, 1917. British troops lining the streets of
Jerusalem. 11 Dec. 1917. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Divison. Lib. of
Cong., Washington. LC-USZ62-83330. Library of Congress. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002711299/>. This is a great picture, as it
demonstrates another focus of my project. This shows the British troops in Jerusalem
on the day of invasion. From this I learned what Jerusalem looked like at the time.
Every Son of Israel. 1917. The Palestine Poster Project Archives. Collection of Dan Walsh,
Silver Spring. The Palestine Poster Project Archives. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.palestineposterproject.org/poster/every-son-of-israel>. From this, I learned
that the British Army encouraged the Jews to join the army. An important part of the
poster is “Britain Expects Every Son of Israel to Do His Duty.” It also led me to research
about three men depicted on the poster (Viscount Reading, Herbert Samuel, and Edwin
S. Montagu).
The Garden Tomb. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.lds.org/medialibrary/images/easter?lang=eng#garden-tomb-929388>. This is a picture of the Tomb of
the Garden. This is believed by Christians to be the spot where Christ was resurrected.
I learned from this what the Garden Tomb looks like. I used it in my conclusion.
Harris & Ewing. Balfour, Arthur. Honorable. N.d. Lib. of Cong., Washington. LC-H25- 80274-E.
Library of Congress. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/hec2009006920/>. From this photograph I learned
what Arthur Balfour looked like. This improved my project because I could use this
picture. It is in multiple places on my website.
The International Standard. “General Allenby’s Capture of the Holy Land Will Prove One of the
Greatest Events of the War as It Rescues One of the World’s Most Sacred Spots from
the Moslems.” The Ogden Standard 5 Dec. 1918, 3:30 PM ed.: 10. Chronicling America
(Library of Congress). Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058396/1918-12-05/ed-1/seq-10/>. This is
useful because from this article, I got a look at General Allenby’s Jerusalem invasion
from the perspective of that time. It gives a brief history of the area from around the age
of the Roman Empire to takeover by the Ottoman Empire in about 1243 AD. It also
gives a detailed description of how Gen. Allenby captured Jerusalem: Allenby’s men
crossed Israel to the north and surrounded the Turks, which cut the Damascus Railroad,
the one line of communication. Within the next few days, they captured many guns and
prisoners. “The fate of ... Palestine, was settled in one battle and communication cut
between the Turks and their holy cities of Islam.” This particular section was very useful
because I needed to know the details of Allenby’s capture of Jerusalem. I also learned
that one-half of the population were Greek Orthodox, about 3000 were Roman Catholic,
and about 500 were Protestants. It focuses on the benefits of the takeover of
Jerusalem, some of them being that the Turkish laws were cruel, and they had to make
“the best of their bad condition hoping for [British takeover].” From this I also learned
that the Turks possibly insulted tourists (and probably non-Muslims too). Also, under
Ottoman Empire rule, Israel was unsanitary. However, this source may have been very
biased and untruthful.
Jerusalem Delivered from Turk and Hun. 11 Nov. 1917. Libertysvictorio00chic. Internet Archive.
Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.archive.org/stream/libertysvictorio00chic#page/18/mode/2up>. This is
another picture of the British troops in Jerusalem. It showed me what Jerusalem looked
like at the time. I used it in multiple places on my website.
Jerusalem Riot. JPG file. This showed me what the Arab riot of 1920 looked like. I used it in the
“Arabs attack Jews, 1920” section of the “Impact” page. It also showed me what
Jerusalem looked like at the time.
“Jews Celebrate Palestine Victory.” The Sun [New York] 24 Dec. 1917: 5. Chronicling America
(Library of Congress). Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
<http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1917-12-24/ed-1/seq-5/>. From this
I learned of an event involving key people in the Zionist movement. These people were
Lord Allenby, Aaron Aaronsohn, Dr. Glazebrook (no given name was provided), and
Stephen S. Wise. Aaron Aaronsohn was an eyewitness of many dramatic events in
Palestine. He also discovered a type of “dry wheat [in Palestine] which [was] expected
to revolutionize the agriculture of the world.”
“Jews Helpless in Holy City Attacks.” Sun and the New York Herald 18 Apr. 1920: 3. Chronicling
America (Library of Congress). Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
<http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030273/1920-04-13/ed-1/seq-3/>. This was
a primary source from which I learned about a certain Arab riot against the Jews in
Palestine in 1920. I learned that casualties (deaths, wounded, women violated) totaled
about 250-300 from this attack. 60 shops were sacked as well. This was good to know
because I learned that the riots were very serious and hurt many Jews.
“Latest Population Statistics for Israel.” Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative
Enterprise, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_%26_Culture/newpop.html>. This
gave me the latest population statistics for Israel. I learned that in September 2013, the
Jewish population in Israel numbered about 6 million, or 75.1%. In 1917, it only
numbered 50,000. From that, I learned that the Balfour Declaration encouraged Jewish
immigration to Israel.
Martins, Francisco. “The Dome of the Rock - Jerusalem.” Flickr. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/betta_design/2131208351/>. From this I learned what the
Dome of the Rock looks like. The Dome of the Rock is a Muslim landmark in Jerusalem.
I used it in my conclusion.
“Montagu Memorandom on the Anti-Semitism of the British Government.” Jewish Virtual Library.
American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Montagumemo.html>. This was a
transcript of a memorandum presented to the British Government by Edwin S. Montagu.
It presented arguments against the Balfour Declaration. This was good because most of
the sources I had viewed were in favor of the Declaration, and I needed another view of
it.
“The Palestine Mandate.” The World War I Document Archive. Brigham Young University, n.d.
Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_Palestine_Mandate>. This is
the text of the Palestine Mandate. This put Palestine under British control. British
control of Palestine was necessary in order to fulfill the Balfour Declaration’s promises.
Ramírez, Griselda. “Muro de los lamentos. Jerusalem.” Flickr. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/56088233@N08/7046764737/>. This is where I learned
what the Wailing Wall looks like. It demonstrates Judaism’s ties to Jerusalem by
showing that one of their main religious landmarks is in Jerusalem. I used it in my
conclusion. (FYI: The translation of this photo’s title is “Wailing Wall. Jerusalem.”)
Shkolnik, Ilana. “Jerusalem - Old City.” PikiWiki Israel. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.pikiwiki.org.il/?action=gallery&img_id=21652>. From this photograph, I
learned what Jerusalem looks like now. This is a great photograph for my website
because it shows all sorts of different people (Caucasian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.). This
demonstrates the diversity of Israel. I used it in my conclusion.
Viscount Reading. 1914. Digital Media Repositry. Ball State U., Muncie. World War I Posters.
Web. 9 Oct. 2013.
<http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/WWIPosters/id/1696/rec/2633>. This is the
Yiddish version of the Every Son of Israel poster (also cited). The other version was
unreadable, but this version is very clear. This version has the names of three British
Army men in English (Right Hon. Herbert Samuel, Viscount Reading, and Right Hon.
Edwin S. Montagu). The other version, you could only read Reading’s and Montagu’s
names. This led me to research about all three men.
Secondary Sources
“Arab Riots of the 1920’s.” Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d.
Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/riots29.html>.
From this, I learned about the Arab riots against the Jews in Palestine. The Arabs were
trying to express their disagreement with the Balfour Declaration. However, they should
have done so more peacefully.
“Baron Edmond James de Rothschild.” Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative
Enterprise, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/rothschild.html>. From this I
learned of Lord Rothschild’s importance in Palestine. Rothschild supported the many
Jews that chose to settle Palestine. He organized Rothschild’s Jewish Colonization
Association, a group of 12 Jewish settlements.
Beckett, Ian F. W. “Allenby, Lord.” World Book Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar013860&st=lord+allenby>. Here, I
found out that General Edmund Allenby, a British military leader, was an important figure
in Palestine because he invaded Palestine while it was being occupied by the Ottoman
Empire (now Turkey). The win of this battle led to British control of Syria and Palestine. I
also learned that from 1919-1925, Allenby served as high commissioner for Egypt.
“Chaim Weizmann.” Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web.
17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/weizmann.html>.
This gave me a biography of Chaim Weizmann, an important Zionist leader in the early
19th century. Here, I learned that Weizmann was born in Russia and received his
biochemistry education in Germany and Switzerland. This education eventually led to
him becoming a widely respected biochemist, which gave Zionism in Britain good
representation. This biography also told of his history in the Zionist movement (when he
was president of the Zionist Federation, etc.).
“Emir Faisal Endorses the Balfour Declaration.” Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli
Cooperative Enterprise, 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/faisal_balfour.html>. This is where I
learned that Emir Faisal, an Arab leader, endorsed the Balfour Declaration through an
agreement with Chaim Weizmann and other Zionists at the 1919 Paris Peace
Conference. This led me to research about the Paris Peace Conference. I also learned
that “Faisal had conditioned his acceptance of the Balfour Declaration on the fulfillment
of British wartime promises of independence to the Arabs. These were not kept.” It also
led me to a bit of research on Emir Faisal.
Massey, W. T. “Palestine’s Influence on the War.” How Jerusalem Was Won: Being the Record
of Allenby’s Campaign in Palestine. 1919. N.p.: n.p., 2003. The Gutenberg Project. Web.
30 Oct. 2013. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10098/10098-8.txt>. This gave me a
perspective of Palestine from a perspective of somebody who was alive during the war
(it was written in 1919). I learned that Palestine was important because the people in
British territory in Africa and Asia would “remain faithful to the British flag only so long as
we could impress them with our power.” People in these territories would be more
influenced if Britain triumphed in Mesopotamia, rather than a victory in France, “and the
occupation of Baghdad was a victory of greater import to the King’s Indian subjects than
the German retirement from the Hindenburg line.”
“Palestine During World War I.” Jewish Virtual Library. The American-Israeli Cooperative
Enterprise, 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/ww1.html>. I learned that a major
asset to Zionism was that Chaim Weizmann, an important Zionist leader, was a widely
respected scientist in Britain. I found out that it was actually five weeks after the Balfour
Declaration that Gen. Allenby invaded Jerusalem, something which I did not know before
and helped my project a lot. I also found out about a lot of important dates.
“The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles.” US Dept. of State Office of the
Historian. United States Department of State, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
<http://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/ParisPeace>. From this I learned what
the Paris Peace Conference was. The Paris Peace Conference was referenced in
another source, and I was not sure what it was. The Paris Peace Conference, which
took place in Versailles just outside Paris, was where the Treaty of Versailles was
signed, ending World War I.
Rashba, Gary L. The Battle of Megiddo situation 19-25 September, 1918, and the Pursuit to
Damascus. Map. Philadelphia: Casemate, 2011. Print. This map, which is part of Holy
Wars by Gary L. Rashba (also cited), is where I learned the battle movements of the
British army in Palestine during World War I. I learned the front line at 0414 hours on
September 19 and the front line at 1800 hours on September 25. I also learned the
movements of the army from the front lines.
- - -. “By Way of Deception: World War I in Palestine, 1917-18.” Holy Wars: 3,000 Years of
Battles in the Holy Land. Philadelphia: Casemate, 2011. 157-78. Print. This gave me
great information on World War I in Palestine. Mr. Rashba seems to be very
knowledgeable about this topic. This is where I learned a lot about the military
movements of Britain and the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) during World War I. It is
also where I learned that the Ottoman Empire had had control on Palestine - “As the
Turks had been entrenched in these areas for some 400 years, prying open the
Ottoman’s hold on this territory would be no simple task.” Rashba gave the story of
these battles in a sort of narrative format that had no characters. It also provided a map
of battle movements. I also learned here that much of AWorld War I in Palestine was
about Gaza.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. “Balfour Declaration.” About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
<http://history1900s.about.com/cs/holocaust/p/balfourdeclare.htm>. From this I learned
that Lord Rothschild was the president of the Zionist Fedeartion. I also learned that “The
Balfour Declaration led the League of Nations to entrust that United Kingdom with the
Palestine Mandate in 1922.” This led me to research about the Palestine Mandate.
Rozenblit, Marsha. “Zionism.” World Book Online. World Book, 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar617040&st=zionism>. This gave
me background information on the Zionist movement, a movement to establish a Jewish
homeland in Palestine. In the late nineteenth century, antisemitism (prejudice against
Jews) actually caused the creation of the Zionist movement. The Zionist movement led
to the creation of Israel in 1948.
“Stephen S. Wise (1874-1949).” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, 10 June 2013. Web. 13 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007309>. This gave me
information on Stephen S. Wise, who was an important leader in the Zionist movement.
Wise was a Reform rabbi and member of the Zionist General Action Committee. He
supported the establishment of a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine,
unlike many Reform rabbis. Wise and Louis Brandeis were important in gaining
Woodrow Wilson’s support of the Balfour Declaration.
Tristam, Pierre. “What Is the Balfour Declaration?” About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 16 Nov.
2013. <http://middleeast.about.com/od/israelandpalestine/f/me080508.htm>. This also
gave me general information on the Balfour Declaration. However, I think the most
important part of this source was that it was where I learned about Jewish population in
Palestine. At the time of the Declaration, Palestine was about 10% Jewish (50,000
Jews). In 1947, just before Israels independence, there were 600,000 Jews.
Tuchman, Barbara Wertheim. “Culmination: The Balfour Declaration and the Palestine
Mandate.” Bible and Sword: England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour.
1984 ed. New York: Ballantine, 1984. 310-47. Print. I learned a lot from this detailed
chapter: “Palestine’s fatal geography made it inevitable that Britain would take it over
when the Turkish Empire should break up. ... The ground had been laid in Balfour’s mind
a decade before the Declaration when, as prime minister, his curiosity was piqued by the
Zionists’ rejection of Chamberlain’s offer of East Africa.” One thing about this that was
really great was that it was so detailed.