Zionism and Anglo-Jewry have lost a great friend and a staunch supporter in the death of Frederick Edwin Smith, the first Earl of Birkenhead, who died here today after an extended illness, at the age of 58. Lord Birkenhead, one of the leading Conservative statesmen of England, repeatedly manifested his pro-Jewish sentiments while he was a member of Conservative governments. As Solicitor-General from 1915 to 1919, Attorney-General from 1919 to 1922 and Secretary of State for India from 1922 to 1928, he always showed sympathy for the Zionist cause.
He was an outstanding defender of Great Britain’s retaining the Palestine Mandate. During the campaign to get England to clear out of Palestine, he staunchly opposed such action. Lord Birkenhead was a frequent speaker at various Zionist functions. In July 1928 at a dinner in London to raise funds for the Balfour Forest in Palestine, Lord Birkenhead was one of the principal speakers and contributed to the $75,000 that was raised.
Lord Melchett, president of the English Zionist Federation and Jewish Agency leader, who himself has not recovered from his illness, issued a statemen to the press deploring the death of Lord Birkenhead as a friend and close collaborator.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
