Books are my ADVIL

Text: The Balfour Declaration

 

Plot description: The Balfour Declaration is a simple letter written from Arthur James Balfour to Lord Rothschild during WWI to inform the Zionist Federation that Britain would be committed to helping form a home for the Jewish state in Palestine.  

Theme description:  Themes of the letter include sympathy, aspiration for and commitment to a cause, as well as emphasis of equality and rights for non-Jews who were living in the area.

 

Reason for appropriateness: Understanding the roots of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is important for students as the violence in that area of the world is often depicted in the media. They should study this historical document to understand how and why certain decisions were made, and through the lens of postcolonialism attempt to evaluate the document according to the facts of the war. Since several students are Palestinian and have a general idea of how history played out on their land, they may already have some background knowledge. However, seeing this document will highlight the reasons for which Britain was part of the Zionist movement, why they made this agreement, and a close reading of should encourage lively discussion from the students. They should also be encouraged to understand the other side of the story, and  why Jewish people activists worked so hard in trying to gain a land which all Jews could call home. Other appropriate issues to discuss could be the justice / injustice of giving a land away that didn’t belong to the British government (they only took control of Palestine in 1920), and how this relates to other communities or people in today’s world. They should also discuss the rights of Palestinians today, especially in light of the Balfour Declaration, as well as the relation of this issue to the Essential Question, “What can we gain from reading about past civilizations?”

 

Links to critical article:  http://0search.proquest.com.skyline.ucdenver.edu/mlaib/docview/1266373639/fulltextPDF/93B46AE61DEB4B90PQ/1?accountid=14506

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703545604575407364169729910

http://www.jewishquarterly.org/issuearchive/articleea91.html