Editing Rothschild family (section)

== Jewish identity and positions on Zionism ==
Jewish solidarity in the family was not homogeneous. Many Rothschilds were supporters of [[Zionism]], while other members of the family opposed the creation of the Jewish state.  In 1917 [[Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild]] was the addressee of the [[Balfour Declaration]] to the [[Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland|Zionist Federation]],<ref>"Balfour Declaration." (2007). In ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 12 August 2007, from [http://www.britannica.com/event/Balfour-Declaration Encyclopædia Britannica Online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109020922/http://www.britannica.com/event/Balfour-Declaration |date=9 November 2015 }}.</ref> which committed the British government to the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. His [[Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild|nephew]], [[Victor Rothschild|Victor, Lord Rothschild]] was against granting asylum or helping Jewish refugees in 1938.{{efn|[[The Independent]] reported that he "shocked an audience by saying that in spite of 'the slow murder of 600,000 people' on the continent 'we probably all agree that there is something unsatisfactory in refugees encroaching on the privacy of our country, even for relatively short periods of time.'"}}<ref name="independent.co.uk">{{cite news
 |last=Vallely
 |first=Paul
 |title=The Rothschild story: A golden era ends for a secretive dynasty
 |work=The Independent
 |date=16 April 2004 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-rothschild-story-a-golden-era-ends-for-a-secretive-dynasty-756388.html
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709064003/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-rothschild-story-a-golden-era-ends-for-a-secretive-dynasty-756388.html
 |archive-date=9 July 2008 |access-date=18 February 2010 |location=London
}}</ref>

After the death of [[James Mayer Rothschild|James Jacob de Rothschild]] in 1868, his eldest son [[Alphonse James de Rothschild|Alphonse Rothschild]] took over the management of the family bank and was the most active in support for [[Eretz Israel]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Aharonson |first=Ran |title=Rothschild and early Jewish colonization in Palestine |publisher=[[The Hebrew University Magnes Press]], Jerusalem |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7425-0914-6 |location=Israel |page=53}}</ref> The Rothschild family archives show that during the 1870s the family contributed nearly 500,000 francs per year on behalf of Eastern Jewry to the [[Alliance Israélite Universelle]].<ref>{{cite book
  | last      = Aharonson
  | first     = Ran
  | title     = Rothschild and early Jewish colonization in Palestine
  | publisher = The Hebrew university Magnes Press, Jerusalem
  | year      = 2000
  | location  = Israel
  | page      = 54
  | isbn      = 978-0-7425-0914-6
  }}</ref>

Baron [[Edmond James de Rothschild]] (known in Israel simply as "the Baron Rothschild" or "the Benefactor" (Hebrew: "HaNadiv")), youngest son of James Jacob de Rothschild, was a patron of the first permanent settlement in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] at [[Rishon-LeZion]] (1882). He also provided funding for the establishment of [[Petah Tikva]] as a permanent settlement (1883). Overall, he bought from Ottoman landlords 2–3% of the land.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.myjli.com/survival/index.php/2017/03/26/land-ownership-in-palestine-1880-1948 |title=Land Ownership in Palestine, 1880–1948 |series=Survival of a Nation |publisher=The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute |last=Aumann |first=Moshe |access-date=23 July 2021 |archive-date=14 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214175743/https://www.myjli.com/survival/index.php/2017/03/26/land-ownership-in-palestine-1880-1948/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|The PICA obtained about {{cvt|450|-|550|km2}} of land in Palestine, out of about {{cvt|1,850|km2}} (7% of the area Mandatory Palestine) that were Jewish-owned by 1947. Today's Israel proper, excluding the West Bank, Gaza, Golan and East Jerusalem, is about {{cvt|21,000|km2}}, but the Mandatory Palestine was larger.}} After [[Maurice de Hirsch|Baron de Hirsch]] died in 1896, the Hirsch-founded Jewish Colonisation Association (ICA) started supporting the settlement of Palestine (1896), and Baron Rothschild took an active role in the organization and transferred his Palestinian land holdings as well as 15 million francs to it. In 1924, he reorganized the Palestinian branch of the ICA into the Palestine Jewish Colonisation Association (PICA), which acquired more than {{convert|125000|acres|0|abbr=on}} of land and set up business ventures.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel'', vol. 2, "Rothschild, Baron Edmond-James de," p. 966</ref> In [[Tel Aviv]], the [[Rothschild Boulevard]] is named after him, as are a number of localities throughout Israel which he assisted in founding, including [[Metula|Metulla]], [[Zikhron Ya'akov]], Rishon Lezion and [[Rosh Pinna|Rosh Pina]]. A park in [[Boulogne-Billancourt]], Paris, the ''Parc Edmond de Rothschild'' (Edmond de Rothschild Park), is also named after its founder.<ref>{{cite web
 |title        = The Redeemers of the Land
 |last         = Greenwood
 |first        = Naftali
 |publisher    = Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 |url          = http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern+History/Centenary+of+Zionism/The+Redeemers+of+the+Land.htm
 |access-date  = 8 April 2010
 |archive-date = 15 May 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100515180208/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern+History/Centenary+of+Zionism/The+Redeemers+of+the+Land.htm
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> The Rothschilds also played a significant part in the funding of Israel's governmental infrastructure. [[James Armand de Rothschild|James A. de Rothschild]] financed the [[Knesset]] building as a gift to the State of Israel<ref>{{cite web
  | url        = https://www.knesset.gov.il/lexicon/eng/rotchild_ja_eng.htm
  | title        = James Armand de Rothschild on the Knesset web site
  | publisher        = Knesset.gov.il
  | access-date        = 8 July 2010
  | archive-date        = 8 March 2021
  | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20210308134908/https://www.knesset.gov.il/lexicon/eng/rotchild_ja_eng.htm
  | url-status        = live
  }}</ref> and the [[Supreme Court of Israel]] building was donated to Israel by [[Dorothy de Rothschild]].<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DE153BF930A25751C1A96E948260 "Dorothy de Rothschild, 93, Supporter of Israel"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326031120/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/13/obituaries/dorothy-de-rothschild-93-supporter-of-israel.html |date=26 March 2023 }} (obituary), ''[[The New York Times]]'', 13 December 1988. Retrieved 19 June 2008.</ref> Outside the President's Chamber is displayed the letter [[Dorothy de Rothschild]] wrote to then Prime Minister [[Shimon Peres]] expressing her intention to donate a new building for the Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://elyon1.court.gov.il/eng/siyur/lishka_nasi.html |title=The Presidents Chamber |website=Tour of Supreme Court |publisher=The Judicial Authority of the State of Israel |access-date=23 July 2021 |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526172703/https://elyon1.court.gov.il/eng/siyur/lishka_nasi.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Rothschilds also established the "[[Yad Hanadiv]]" philanthropic foundation in 1958.

Interviewed by ''[[Haaretz]]'' in 2010, [[Benjamin de Rothschild|Baron Benjamin Rothschild]], who was a Swiss-based member of the banking family, said that he supported the [[Israeli–Palestinian peace process]]: "I understand that it is a complicated business, mainly because of the fanatics and extremists – and I am talking about both sides. I think you have fanatics in Israel. ... In general I am not in contact with politicians. I spoke once with [[Benjamin Netanyahu|Netanyahu]]. I met once with an Israeli finance minister, but the less I mingle with politicians the better I feel."<ref name="ReferenceA">"Family values", ''Haaretz'', Magazine, 11:15 05.11.10, By Eytan Avriel and Guy Rolnik</ref> Due to a dispute with the Israeli tax authorities, the baron refused to visit Israel. But his widow [[Ariane de Rothschild]] often visits Israel where she manages the [[Caesarea Maritima#Rothschild Caesarea Foundation and Development Corporation|Caesarea Foundation]]. She says: "It is insulting that the state [Israel] casts doubt on us. If there is a family that does not have to prove its commitment to Israel, it's ours."<ref>Magen, Hadas (31 May 2015). [http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-baroness-rothschild-israel-insults-our-family-1001040746 "Baroness Rothschild: Israel insults our family"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602203416/http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-baroness-rothschild-israel-insults-our-family-1001040746 |date=2 June 2015 }}. ''[[Globes (newspaper)|Globes]]''.</ref>

===Places in Israel named after Rothschild family members===

Primarily due to the generosity and influence of Baron Edmond James de Rothschild, HaNadiv (the Benefactor), on the history of the Land of Israel and the State of Israel, a tradition exists of naming cities, towns and other settlements in Israel in honor of members of the Rothschild family. Six of these places are grouped in the same vicinity, on the [[Sharon plain]], while the others are scattered throughout the country. They are, listed in order of founding:

* [[Zichron Ya'akov]] (Hebrew: Jacob's Memory), a town founded in 1882 and named after the Benefactor's father, [[James Mayer de Rothschild|James [Jacob] Mayer de Rothschild]] (1792–1868) from the Paris branch of the family;
* [[Mazkeret Batya]] (Hebrew: Remembrance of Batya), a local council near [[Tel Aviv]], founded in 1883 and named after [[Betty von Rothschild]] (1805–1886), the Benefactor's mother;
* [[Bat Shlomo]] (Hebrew: Salomon's Daughter), a [[moshav]] near [[Rehovot]], founded in 1889 and also named after the Baron's mother, who was the daughter of [[Salomon Mayer von Rothschild]] (1774–1855), the Benefactor's grandfather from the Vienna branch;
* [[Meir Shfeya]] (Hebrew: Mayer's Fields), a youth village near Zichron Ya'acov, founded as a [[moshava]] in 1891 and named after [[Amschel Mayer von Rothschild]] (1773–1855), the Benefactor's grandfather from the Frankfurt branch;
* [[Givat Ada]] (Hebrew: Ada's Hill), a town near Zichron Ya'acov, founded in 1903 and named after the Benefactor's wife [[Adelheid von Rothschild]] (1853–1935), who was also his cousin, from the Naples branch;
* [[Binyamina]], a town near Zichron Ya'acov, founded in 1922 and named after Benefactor himself (Binyamina was officially merged with Givat Ada in 2003);
* [[Ashdot Ya'akov]] (Hebrew: Jacob's Rapids), a kibbutz just south of the [[Sea of Galilee]], founded in 1924 and named after [[James de Rothschild (politician)|James Armand Edmond de Rothschild]] (1878–1957), son of the Benefactor;
* [[Pardes Hanna]] (Hebrew: Hannah's [Citrus] Orchard), a local council near Zichron Ya'acov, founded in 1929 and named after [[Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery]] (née de Rothschild; 1851–1890), daughter of Mayer Anschel Rothschild;<ref>Personal email correspondence between Pardes Hannah Rishonim Museum representative and Wikipedia editor, April 2022| "This [identification of Hanna Primrose as the source of the name given to Pardes Hanna] is information that was provided to the Pardes Hannah Rishonim Museum in the 1980s after a clarification was conducted at that time with the Rothschild family archives in London. Hannah Primrose's picture which hangs in the Rishonim Museum also came from the same source... We are aware that there are those who attribute the name to other women. The claims we receive usually rely on some measure of logic but not on information that has been confirmed."</ref><ref>rishonim.house| Pardes Hanna-Karkur Founders' House Museum</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pardes-hanna-karkur.muni.il/101/ |script-title=he:מקור השם פרדס חנה |language=he |website=Pardes Hana Karkur |access-date=15 September 2022 |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006012904/https://www.pardes-hanna-karkur.muni.il/101/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Shadmot Dvora]] (Hebrew: Deborah's Cultivated Fields), a moshav near [[Tiberias]], founded in 1939 and named after [[Dorothy de Rothschild]] (1895–1988), who was James de Rothschild's wife and the Benefactor's daughter-in-law;
* [[Sde Eliezer]] (Hebrew: Eliezer's Field), a moshav in the [[Hula Valley]], founded in 1950 and named after [[Robert Rothschild]] (1911–1998), a relative of the Benefactor's of the French branch.<ref>[https://www.ramat-hanadiv.org.il/לגלות-את-המקום/פעילות-לקבוצות/מידע-למדריכים/הרוטשילדים-וארץ-ישראל/ Ramat HaNadiv official site: section on the Rothschilds on the map of the Land of Israel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804033648/https://www.ramat-hanadiv.org.il/%D7%9C%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%90%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%9D/%D7%A4%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9C%D7%A7%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%93%D7%A2-%D7%9C%D7%9E%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%98%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%A5-%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C/ |date=4 August 2022 }} (Hebrew)</ref>