How did the Holocaust Impact the Formation of Israel as a Country in
1948?
NAME
2013
Candidate #
Word Count: 1867
Plan of Investigation
The Holocaust, the horrific event that placed an enormous impact on Jewish people, played a
role in the creation of the state of Israel. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the question,
how did the holocaust impact the formation of Israel as a country in 1947? To examine this
question, I will investigate how the aftermath of the holocaust and the displacement of the Jews
lead to the end of the British mandate and creation of Israel by using secondary sources that
include primary source documents and the chronology of events. I will also at how the Zionists
convinced Britain to recognize the importance of a Jewish homeland. I will look at primary
sources telling the story of the creation of Israel through the lives of the three main men involved
in reaching for that goal.
Word count: 138
Summary of Evidence
Holocaust Aftermath: Displacement of Jews
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“There was of course one solution for the refugees: immigration to Palestine. Though not
yet their own state, it was the one land where they would be welcomed with warmth and
compassion” (Greenfeld 123).
After Germany’s surrender in May 1945, the Allied forces faced the staggering problems
of repatriating about 7 million dislocated and displaced persons (The Creation of Israel).
The Allied nations had not planned much beyond the immediate locating of Jewish DPs
(displaced persons) into camps at the end of the fighting, as they hoped that most would
return to their former homelands (The Creation of Israel).
Seven to nine million people were displaced by the end of the war. At the end of 1945,
1.5 to 2 million displaced persons (DPs) did not want to return to their homes, fearing
economic and social repercussions, or even annihilation. About ten percent of these
people were Jewish (fcit.usf.edu).
The holocaust had destroyed a large proportion of European Jewry and thus the
demographic issue of transferring a large number of Jews to Palestine was moot
(myjewishlearning.com).
After the war, in reality, there were numerous displaced Jews who preferred to go to
Israel rather than return to the lands where they had suffered persecution. Palestine, and
later Israel, offered them a safe haven and the opportunity for a new life
(myjewishlearning.com).
The British Mandate
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Just prior to the Holocaust, many Jews tried to escape from Germany. Many attempted to
get into the United States, but they were turned down. Others tried to immigrate to Israel
(Palestine), but the British (who had were in charge of a Mandate government in the
region) purposely instituted policies that made it quite difficult for many Jews to
immigrate to Israel (stateofisrael.com).
“With Hitler’s declaration to rid Europe of its Jews, hundreds of thousands sought refuge
in Palestine. The British government was concerned that this mass migration would
intensify an already delicate situation. Soon the British limited Jewish immigration”
(Romano 35).
The terms of the British Mandate over Palestine set up irreconcilable and contradictory
goals of self-rule for the native Palestinians and a national home not specifically defined
by Britain for European Jews (thejerusalemfund.org).
The 1939 White Paper
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In a controversial document known as the White Paper, Britain imposed drastic
restrictions on Jewish immigration and land ownership. The 1939 White paper
document also decreed that a joint Arab-Jewish government would be installed within
ten years (Roman 35).
Some Jews envisioned a Jewish homeland, considered by many to be Palestine. The
British White Paper of 1939, however, still restricted immigration to Palestine by
Jews (fcit.usf.edu).
Among other things, the White Paper of 1939 put significant restrictions on the
number of Jews who would be allowed to immigrate to Israel; for all intents and
purposes the White Paper closed the gates to Jewish immigration (stateofisrael.com).
The White Paper of 1939 -- otherwise known as the MacDonald White Paper -- was
named for the then British colonial secretary (Historycentral.com)
It stated that as the Balfour Declaration had called only for the establishment of a
Jewish homeland in Palestine, and as there were over 450,000 Jews in Palestine,
Britain had met its responsibility under the declaration (Historycentral.com)
In 1947, the British government decided to withdraw from the Palestine Mandate
(math.utah.edu).
Israel Declares Independence and becomes a State
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On the afternoon of May 14, several hours after England’s formal surrender of control
over Palestine, Ben-Gurion read the Declaration of Independence from the Tel Aviv
Museum (The creation of Israel.)
A few months later, on May 14, 1948, with the last British troops prepared for
departure, marking the official termination of the mandate, Ben-Gurion stood before a
hastily convened provisional government at the Tel Aviv Museum to read the
proclamation that declared the establishment of the state of Israel (Greenfeld 127).
Word Count: 597
Evaluation of Sources
A Promise Fulfilled, published in 2005 by Howard Greenfield, is a book that tell the stories of
the three men who were determined to create a Jewish state, knows as Israel. Howard Greenfield
grew up in New York City, graduated from Columbia University, and has written two critically
acclaimed books about the holocaust. In this book of his, these three men, Theodore Herzl,
Chaim Weizmann, and David Ben-Gurion disagreed at times but each needed each other to
accomplish a goal. The purpose of this book is to tell the stories of the creation of the state of
Israel through three very different men. This book is valuable because it shows how events built
on one another and gives the understanding of how the state of Israel became to be, and also
shows how the way one crisis leads to the influence of how the next event played out. Though
Greenfield explores the lives of these men, he was not involved in the creation of the state of
Israel so does not have the experience and knowledge of the process it took for Israel to become
a state.
The Creation of Israel, a book edited by Phillip Margulies published in 2005, includes an
appendix of excerpts from primary source documents and essays chosen for their accessibility
that highlight events. The Holocaust Intensifies Conflict between the Zionists and the British in
Palestine, is a paper written by Ian F. Bickerton and Carla L. Klauser on Palestine, on the British
restricted Jewish immigration to Palestine even while the Nazis were exterminating the Jews to
Europe. It examines when the Jews supported the Allied war effort but Zionist- British conflict
grew increasingly violent in Palestine. The purpose of this essay is to examine the British and
their restriction of Jewish immigration to Palestine while the Nazis were exterminating the Jews
out of Europe. The value of this essay is that it includes information on the Holocaust and Jewish
resistance to it, Palestine after World War II, and the displaced persons and Palestine. There is an
overview of how the events led to the conflict of the Zionists and British Palestine. The authors
of this essay do not show enough information on how the Holocaust impacted the formation of
Israel since it only covers The Zionists and The British Palestine.
Word count: 385
Analysis
The Holocaust, the genocide of Jews during World War II, helped create the formation of
Israel. In the aftermath of World War II, the Holocaust motivated a large number of immigrants
to move to the new country due to the effects of the Holocaust. Many Jews after the holocaust
were left without a home due the conflict, so many of them migrated to the British Mandate of
Palestine. After the war, in reality, there were numerous displaced Jews who preferred to go to
Israel rather than return to the lands where they had suffered persecution
(Myjewishlearning.com). This mass migration of Jews caused more tension between the newly
refugees who immigrated and Palestinian Jews with the Arab Palestinians. The British attempted
to limit this migration with some success, and as the conflict was becoming increasingly
difficult, it created United Nations south to partition the land in 1947.
Prior to the holocaust, many Jews tried to escape from Germany. Some tried to get into the
United States, but were turned down and tried to enter other countries, but turned out the same
for them as well. Many Refugees were afraid of social and economic repercussions did not want
to return to their homes (fcit.usf.edu). Due to this failure, they were forced to return and
eventually put into death camps and other refugee camps (stateofisrael.com). The Allied nations
had not planned where the locating of the Jewish would be after the war since they hoped they
would immediately return to their homelands. It became apparent that 50,000 to 100,000 Jews
were homeless and stateless and the Allies did not know what to do with them. The British
government wanted them to stay and continue to build their lives in Europe, and it was unwilling
to allow further immigration into Palestine (The Creation of Israel).
With Hitler’s declaration to rid Europe of its Jews, The British government was concerned
that this mass migration would intensify an already delicate situation. Soon the British limited
Jewish immigration and land purchases with the White Paper (Romano 35). Under the White
paper, Britain had met its responsibility with the Balfour declaration (Historycentral.com). This
lead to the future establishment of a state in Palestine over a period of ten years. The white paper
also stated that only 75,000 Jews would be admitted and if any illegal Jews arrived, they would
be deducted from that quota (historycentral.com). The Jewish community and the Jews in
Palestine were outraged with this because British betrayed them (history.ucsb.edu).
In 1947, the British government decided to extract from the Palestine British Mandate. The
United Nations approved that partition plan, which divided Palestine into and Arab State and a
Jewish State (math.utah.edu). The Arab National movement in Palestine angrily rejected this
partition and demanded that they refuse partition by force. Arab nation were planning on
invading Palestine leading to Israel’s War of independence (Historycentral.com).
In May 15, 1948, Israel was declared a state. Jewish people were able to be a nation in its own
sovereign state (stateofisrael.com). The Arab states had stated that if such a state was declared,
they would invade it. Nonetheless, Truman recognized the State of Israel and Israel relied on him
(greenfeld). The State of Israel had the right to accept Jews immigrating for all dispersions, was
based on the precepts of Liberty, and dedicate itself to the charters of the United Nations
(stateofisrael.com). Israel was admitted into the family of Nations (stateofisrael.com).
Wordcount: 568
Conclusion
The aftermath of the Holocaust caused many Jewish immigrants to immigrate to the new
country. In the state of being homeless, afraid of being persecuted, and knowing they will no
longer be able to have a normal home, they had no choice but to migrate into Palestine. It was
huge dispersion of Jews after the war that it caused conflict between Palestinian Jews and Arab
Palestinians. Due to the conflict that was occurring, the British limited Jewish migration with the
White Paper, and in 1948 when the British Mandate and White Paper expired, the State of Israel
was declared. There most likely would not have been so much conflict with migration if the
holocaust would not have been targeting Jews. Therefore, THE dispersion of the Jews had some
success allowing Palestine have its own state, Israel.
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Margulies, Phillip, ed. The Creation of Israel. N.p.: Thompson Gale, 2005. Print. Turning Points in
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