Jewry

Ancient times

Tacitus says that the Jews "are said to have been refugees from the island of Crete who settled in the remotest corner of Libya in the days when, according to the story, Saturn was driven from his throne by the aggression of Jupiter." Their name was to stem from mount Ida in Crete, the inhabitants of the lands being called "Idaei". Tacitus then recounts a story of the Jews similar to the one in the Torah, specifically the book of Exodus. Tacitus writes about their practice to sacrifice rams, prohibition on eating pork, ritual of fasting, the eating of unleavened bread and idleness on the seventh day and year, as well as circumcision. About their behavior he says: "The other practices of the Jews are sinister and revolting, and have entrenched themselves by their very wickedness. Wretches of the most abandoned kind who had no use for the religion of their fathers took to contributing dues and free-will offerings to swell the Jewish exchequer; and other reasons for their increasing wealth way be found in their stubborn loyalty and ready benevolence towards brother Jews. But the rest of the world they confront with the hatred reserved for enemies. They will not feed or intermarry with gentiles. Though a most lascivious people, the Jews avoid sexual intercourse with women of alien race. Among themselves nothing is barred."

Attacking the Alien Act

In 1904 the Conservative Party wanted to pass the "Aliens Bill" in order to reduce the number of Jews entering Britain due to the persecution they experienced in the Russian Empire. Nathan Laski, the president of the Old Hebrew Congregation of Manchester and Chairman of the Manchester Jewish Hospital, enlisted Churchill's support in opposing the Aliens Bill and helped him prepare a criticism. Churchill argued against the bill on the 31st of May 1904 in the Manchester Guardian and in The Times by writing that the Bill appealed "to insular prejudice against foreigners, to racial prejudice against Jews, and to labour prejudice against competition." The same day he left the Conservative Party and joined the Liberal Party. Nathan Laski wrote to him that he had thus "won the gratitude of the whole Jewish Community". Without a full debate, the bill was sent to the Grand Committee, which was much smaller and of which Churchill was one of the four members of the Liberal party. Churchill then stalled the progress of the Bill by challenging every minor detail of the 11 clauses and 240 lines. The Jewish Chronicle wrote that "Mr Laski said he had interviewed Mr Winston Churchill, who had seen Lord Rothschild with reference to the Bill. The result of the interview was the Mr Churchill was practically leading the attack on the Bill in Grand Committee." Another member of the Committee accused Churchill of "faithfully carrying out the instructions he had received from the party for  which he was acting", which Churchill described as "slander". Due to the stalling of the bill's opponents, after seven days of deliberations, only three of the 240 lines had been discussed, which prompted the government to abandon the bill. However, in early 1906 the Liberal party, which was now in power, passed their own Aliens Bill. In February of 1907 Churchill wrote to Home Secretary Herbert Gladstone: "I was concerned to find the other day how very bitter and disappointed the Jewish Community have become in consequence of the continuance of this very harsh and quite indefensible measure [...] hope you will be able to do something to allay the feeling which is rife. I am sure the Liberal Party would support the repeal of such a foolish piece of legislation." On the 14th of March he and a few fellow-winded deputies met the prime minister to protest against the high naturalization fees that were part of the Act.

The Balfour Declaration

In 1904, Chaim Weizmann moved to England, even though he did not speak English. He said he chose England, because it treated Jews as equals and it was "likely to show genuine sympathy for a movement [Zionism] like ours." There he was received by a left-wing Jew in London. Soon, he moved to Manchester where was received by a fellow Zionist Jew, Joseph Massel, who introduced him to another Zionist Jew, Charles Dreyfus, the chairman of the Zionist group in Manchester, a member of the Manchester Town Council and chairman of the Conservative party in Manchester. Dreyfus arranged a meeting for Weizmann with Arthur James Balfour, the former prime minister of Great Britain (who had just resigned and was campaigning in Manchester). Weizmann was apparently the first Jew that Balfour met that was vehemently opposed to a Jewish homeland in Uganda (as was at that time debated) and insisted it be established in Palestine instead. Weizmann claims that this meeting taught him, that "if someone had been found to present the case of Palestine to the British authorities, it would not have been difficult to enlist their sympathies and perhaps, in certain circumstances, their active support.“ Via the work of his wife, Weizmann established contact with C.P. Scott, the editor of the Manchester Guardian, in November of 1914. According to Weizmann it was well known that Scott had sympathy with "Jewish ideals". They had talks and written exchanges and Weizmann argued that the Jews settled in Palestine would form "a very effective guard for the Suez Canal". Scott decided to arrange a meeting for Weizmann with Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George and Herbert Samuel, a member of the current government.