Edmond James de Rothschild | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Abraham Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild (1845-08-19)19 August 1845 Boulogne-Billancourt, France |
| Died | 2 November 1934(1934-11-02) (aged 89) Boulogne-Billancourt, France |
| Resting place | Ramat HaNadiv (Israel) Père Lachaise (France) (1935–1954) |
| Nationality | French |
| Spouse | |
| Children | James Armand de Rothschild Maurice de Rothschild Alexandrine de Rothschild |
| Parent(s) | James Mayer Rothschild Betty von Rothschild |
Baron Abraham Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild (Hebrew:הברון אברהם אדמונד בנימין ג'יימס רוטשילד,romanized: HaBaron Avraham Edmond Binyamin Ya'akov Rotshield; 19 August 1845 – 2 November 1934) was a French member of theRothschild banking family. A strong supporter of Jewish settlement in Palestine, his large donations lent significant support to theFirst Aliyah, which helped lead to the establishment of theState of Israel—where he is simply known as "The Baron Rothschild", "HaBaron" (lit. 'The Baron'), or "Hanadiv Hayeduah" (lit. 'The noble donator').[1]
A member ofthe French branch of the Rothschild banking dynasty, he was born in the Paris suburb ofBoulogne-Billancourt,Hauts-de-Seine, the youngest child ofJames Mayer Rothschild andBetty von Rothschild. He grew up in the world of theSecond Republic and theSecond Empire and was a soldier "Garde Mobile" in theFranco-Prussian War.
In 1877, he marriedAdelheid von Rothschild ofNaples, the daughter ofWilhelm Carl von Rothschild, one of the Rothschild banking family of Naples, with whom he had three children:James Armand Edmond,Maurice Edmond Karl and Miriam Caroline Alexandrine.
Edmond de Rothschild inheritedChâteau Rothschild in Boulogne-Billancourt and, in 1877, acquired theChâteau d'Armainvilliers inGretz-Armainvilliers in theSeine-et-Marnedépartement.[2]
Edmond took little active part in banking but pursued artistic and philanthropic interests, helping to found scientific research institutions such as theInstitut Henri Poincaré, theInstitut de Biologie physico-chimique, the pre-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Casa Velázquez inMadrid, and the French Institute in London. In 1907, as a cofounder member, he also provided funds and support for the foundation of theFriends of the French National Museum of Natural History Society.[3] He served as a member of the FrenchAcadémie des Beaux-Arts and through it sponsored the archaeological digs ofCharles Simon Clermont-Ganneau inEgypt, Eustache de Lorey in Ottoman Syria, andRaymond Weill in Palestine.[citation needed]
Edmond de Rothschild acquired an important collection ofdrawings andengravings that he bequeathed to theLouvre consisting of more than 40,000 engravings, nearly 3,000 drawings, and 500 illustrated books. Included in this gift were more than one hundred engravings and drawings byRembrandt. A portion of his art collection was bequeathed to his son James A. de Rothschild and is now part of theNational Trust collection atWaddesdon Manor. However, in 1882 Edmond cut back on his purchases of art and began to buy land in Ottoman Palestine.[citation needed]
Rothschild also sponsored archaeological excavations, including those undertaken byJudith Marquet-Krause atEt-Tell.[4]
Although he remained separate from the Zionist movement, and "rejected institutional and ideological Zionism," The Baron Rothschild became an avid supporter of Jewish settlement in Palestine financing the site atRishon LeZion.[5] In his goal for the establishment of Palestine as a home for Jewish settlement, he promoted industrialization and economic development. In 1924, he established thePalestine Jewish Colonization Association (PICA), which acquired more than 125,000 acres (50,586 ha) of land and set up business ventures.
Edmond de Rothschild also played a pivotal role in Israel's wine industry. Under the supervision of his administrators inOttoman Palestine, farm colonies and vineyards were established, and two major wineries were opened in Rishon LeZion andZikhron Ya'akov.[6] It is estimated[by whom?] that Rothschild spent over $50 million in supporting the settlements and backed research in electricity by engineers and financed development of an electric generating station.
Rothschild funded a glass factory that would supply bottles for his wineries. Rothschild metMeir Dizengoff in Paris and chose Dizengoff to launch and manage the new factory, called Mizaga. Dizengoff opened the factory inTantura in 1892 and managed the factory for approximately two years. Mizaga was the first Jewish-owned factory inOttoman Palestine.
According to historianAlbert M. Hyamson, "Rothschild recognised that the overriding interest of the Jews of Palestine was the confidence and the friendship of their Arab neighbours. The interests of the Arab cultivators of the land he bought were never overlooked, but by development he made this land capable of maintaining a population ten times its former size."[7] While Edmond de Rothschild was not always supportive of an inclusive government—he suggested in 1931 toJudah Magnes that "We must hold them (the Arabs) down with a strong hand"[8]—he acknowledged the importance of co-governance and peaceful coexistence in a 1934 letter to theLeague of Nations, stating that "the struggle to put an end to theWandering Jew, could not have as its result, the creation of the Wandering Arab."[9]
In 1934, Baron de Rothschild died atChâteau Rothschild, Boulogne-Billancourt. His wife died a year later on 29 December 1935. They were interred inPère Lachaise Cemetery in Paris until April 1954 when their remains were transported to Israel aboard a naval frigate.
At the port ofHaifa, the ship was met with sirens and a 19-gun salute. A state funeral was held with former Prime MinisterDavid Ben-Gurion giving the eulogy following which Edmond de Rothschild and his wife were re-interred atop a hill near Haifa in what today is called Ramat HaNadiv (The Generous one's Heights) Memorial Gardens, near the towns of Zichron Ya'akov (in Memoriam of Jacob, which is James in English) and Binyamina ("of little Benjamin"), both of which he helped fund, and are named in his honor. The open space atRamat HaNadiv and the Rothschild family charity Yad HaNadiv ("The generous one's hand" and also "The generous one's memory"), are all as well named in honor of the Baron and his famous philanthropy in Palestine. Both named in his honor, where HaNadiv translates to English as "generous", seen in the families later Israeli charitable foundationYad Hanadiv. Started in 1954, (the very same year the Baron and his wife were buried in Israel) to carry on the legacy of Edmond's earlier philanthropy in Palestine, and his colony association, the PICA.[10][11]
For his Jewish philanthropy Baron Edmond became known as "HaNadiv HaYadu'a", (Hebrew for "The Known Benefactor" or "The Famous Benefactor") and in his memory his son bequeathed the funds to construct the building for theKnesset.[10]
Israel's 1982/5742Independence Day coin is dedicated to the memory of Edmond de Rothschild and marks the centenary of his first projects in Israel. From 1982 until 1986, theBank of Israel used his portrait on the 500Israeli sheqel note.[12]
Rothschild Boulevard inTel Aviv is named after him, as well as various localities throughout Israel which he assisted in founding.Rishon LeZion, the city which he helped to found named one of the central streets Rothschild Street, and in 1996 Rothschild Mall was built. Also named after him is theParc Edmond de Rothschild (Edmond de Rothschild Park) inBoulogne-Billancourt.
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