(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Recollections of his American trip, the reception accorded him by American Jews and high praised for the Jewish patriotic qualities were contained in the address of David Llyod George, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, at a garden party given by the summer school of the Interuniversity Jewish Federation.
“You belong to a great race which has made the deepest impression on the destinies of humanity,” Lloyd George stated. “The influence of your race has been great through the ages, and the impressions created by Jewish ideas and teachers will deepen further. We, Welsh like you, are a small race. You number fifteen million, while we number four million. However, the quality is good.
“Your prophets, kings and heroes are better known to Welsh boys than the names of our own heroes.
“I have never met a people with greater patriotism than the Jews for the country in which they live,” Lloyd George declared. “It is a mistake to imagine that an international race cannot be deeply national.”
Mr. Lloyd George reiterated his previous statements with regard to the role of Dr. Chaim Weizmann in the issuance of the Balfour Declaration. He paid high tribute to Dr. Weizmann’s work at that time, stating, “In the Zionist Declaration I was guided and directed by Dr. Weizmann, than whom there is no more noble and unselfish man whose discovery of an ingredient essential in the production of high explosives helped to save the nation.
“I received great kindness from your race in America. I think the most eloquent short speech I heard in America was made by a young Jewish doctor of Philadelphia,” he said.
“The responsibility of guiding is that of your race. Hitherto you have had the spiritual leadership of western civilizations and it is still in your keeping. It is essential that you continue the great guidance you gave humanity, especially as a great international race. It lies in your power to extend in the future your contribution to humanity, which is incalculable.
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.
