Love us or hate us ? (part 6)

3.Lord Shaftesbury

The idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, though present in Jewish hearts since the start of the dispersion, really started to take hold of Christian minds at the start of the 19th Century. It all started (probably) with the Frenchman, Napoleon Bonaparte, who promised Palestine to the Jews. The trouble is that he failed to conquer the land, so it wasn't his to give away! But nice touch, Napoleon, your heart was in the right place.

Since then, particularly in Britain, we then start to see many prominent people, writers, artists, statesmen, all with one mind on the Jewish issue - the need for a Jewish homeland. Among these people were Lord Lindsay, Lord Palmeston, Disraeli, Lord Manchester, Holman Hunt, George Eliot and, our man in the spotlight, Lord Shaftesbury.

Lord Shaftesbury was the most loved politician and one of the most effective social reformers in nineteenth century England.

He became interested in the Jews through his study of Biblical prophecy - he was so keen to understand the Old Testament that he forced himself to learn Hebrew for that very purpose. He became convinced that the Jews should be encouraged to return to Palestine, their God-given home and encouraged Palmerston, the British Foreign Secretary to do something about it politically.

Such was the might of the British Empire in those days that it seems the British were free to do what they liked because, as a result of Shaftesbury's prompting, Michael Alexander, a Jewish Christian, was sent to the Holy Land as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. Although this man only lived for another couple of years, and the scheme only lasted for fifty years, it represented solid achievement in the desire for an eventual Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Lord Shaftesbury never gave up his vision and constantly prompted key movers of nineteenth century Britain to share this vision. It was said that he was sent a ring from Jerusalem that was engraved with the Hebrew words of a Psalm, "Oh, pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper that love thee." He wore this ring for the rest of his life. Curiously the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus, London, was dedicated to him, which doesn't make that much sense as he did little to promote the cause of minor Greek deities!