Episode 2071: Jehuda Reinharz on Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel who aspired to be a British aristocrat

The debate about the supposed “colonial” foundations of Israel goes on and on. But I wonder whether Jehuda Reinharz’s definitive new biography of Chaim Weizmann might help clarify the unintentional colonial foundations of the Zionist project. Reinharz explains that Weizmann made his name as a brilliant chemist in the UK, where he leveraged his equally glittering social networking skills into the publication of the 1917 Balfour Declaration. As Reinharz told me, it was Weizmann’s ability to appear like a British aristocrat that enabled him to successfully schmooze imperial Brits like Lloyd-George, Balfour, Astor and Mark Sykes (of Sykes-Picot fame). So even if his Zionist dream wasn’t formally designed as a colonial project, the fact that Chaim Weizmann had to dress up like British colonialist to get his way might have unintentionally resulted in Israel becoming a spooky replica of a European colony. To remix Marx, great men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please.Jehuda Reinharz was a long-time professor at Brandeis University, serving as Richard Koret Professor of Modern Jewish History in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies; Director of the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry; founder of the Jacob and Libby Goodman Institute for the Study of Zionism and Israel; Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; and University President. In January 2011, Dr. Reinharz assumed the presidency of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. Dr. Reinharz is the author or co-author of more than one hundred articles and thirty-one books in various languages and the recipient of eight honorary doctorates. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned his master’s degree in medieval Jewish history from Harvard and his doctorate in modern Jewish history from Brandeis University.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe