Edmond James de Rothschild

French member of the Rothschild banking family

Not to be confused with Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild.

Baron

Edmond James de Rothschild

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|

Adelheid von Rothschild

(m. 1877)​

Children| James Armand de Rothschild
Maurice de Rothschild
Alexandrine de Rothschild
Parent(s)| James Mayer Rothschild
Betty de Rothschild

Baron Abraham Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild (Hebrew: הברון אברהם אדמונד בנימין ג'יימס רוטשילד HaBaron Avraham Edmond Binyamin Ya'akov Rotshield; 19 August 1845 – 2 November 1934) was a French member of the Rothschild banking family. A strong supporter of Zionism, his large donations lent significant support to the movement during its early years, which helped lead to the establishment of the State of Israel – where he is simply known as "The Baron Rothschild", "HaBaron" (lit. "The Baron"), or "Hanadiv Hayeduah" (lit. "The noble donator").

## Early years[edit]

A member of the French branch of the Rothschild banking dynasty, he was born in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, the youngest child of James Mayer Rothschild and Betty von Rothschild. He grew up in the world of the Second Republic and the Second Empire and was a soldier "Garde Mobile" in the first Franco-Prussian War.

In 1877, he married Adelheid von Rothschild of Naples, the daughter of Wilhelm 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.

## Artistic and philanthropic interests[edit]

Edmond de Rothschild's wax seal with his monogram and a heraldic coronet symbolising his rank as a baron

### Art, science and academy[edit]

Edmond de Rothschild inherited Château Rothschild, Boulogne-Billancourt and owned the Château Rothschild d'Armainvilliers in Gretz-Armainvilliers in the Seine-et-Marne département.[citation needed]

Edmond took little active part in banking but pursued artistic and philanthropic interests, helping to found scientific research institutions such as the Institut Henri Poincaré, the Institut de Biologie physico-chimique, the pre-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Casa Velázquez in Madrid, and the French Institute in London. In 1907, as a cofounder member, he also provided funds and support for the foundation of the Friends of the French National Museum of Natural History Society.[1] He served as a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts and through it sponsored the archaeological digs of Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau in Egypt, Eustache de Lorey in Ottoman Syria, and Raymond Weill in Palestine.[citation needed]

Edmond de Rothschild acquired an important collection of drawings and engravings that he bequeathed to the Louvre 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 by Rembrandt. A portion of his art collection was bequeathed to his son James A. de Rothschild and is now part of the National Trust collection at Waddesdon 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 by Judith Marquet-Krause at Et-Tell.[2]

### Zionism[edit]

Visit of Adelheid and Edmond James de Rothschild to Palestine in 1914 Edmond de Rothschild with High Commissioner Herbert Samuel, Palestine, 1920

He became a leading proponent of the Zionist movement, financing the first site at Rishon LeZion. In his goal for the establishment of a Jewish homeland, he promoted industrialization and economic development. In 1924, he established the Palestine 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 in Ottoman Palestine, farm colonies and vineyards were established, and two major wineries were opened in Rishon LeZion and Zikhron Ya'akov.[3] 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 met Meir Dizengoff in Paris and chose Dizengoff to launch and manage the new factory, called Mizaga. Dizengoff opened the factory in Tantura in 1892 and managed the factory for approximately two years. Mizaga was the first Jewish-owned factory in Ottoman Palestine.

Jews and Arabs lived amicably on Rothschild's land, with no Arab grievances, even in the worst periods of disturbance.[citation needed] According to historian Albert 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."[4] While Edmond de Rothschild was not always supportive of an inclusive government—he suggested in 1931 to Judah Magnes that "We must hold them (the Arabs) down with a strong hand"[5]—he acknowledged the importance of co-governance and peaceful coexistence in a 1934 letter to the League of Nations, stating that "the struggle to put an end to the Wandering Jew, could not have as its result, the creation of the Wandering Arab."[6]

## Death[edit]

Baron Edmond de Rothschild's grave at Ramat HaNadiv

In 1934, Baron de Rothschild died at Château Rothschild, Boulogne-Billancourt. His wife died a year later on 29 December 1935. They were interred in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris until April 1954 when their remains were transported to Israel aboard a naval frigate.

At the port of Haifa, the ship was met with sirens and a 19-gun salute. A state funeral was held with former Prime Minister David 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 at Ramat 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 foundation Yad 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.[7][8]

## Commemoration[edit]

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 the Knesset.[7]

Israeli postal stamp, 1954

Israel's 1982/5742 Independence 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, the Bank of Israel used his portrait on the 500 Israeli sheqel note.[9]

Rothschild Boulevard in Tel 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 the Parc Edmond de Rothschild (Edmond de Rothschild Park) in Boulogne-Billancourt.

## See also[edit]

* Yishuv
* Isaac Leib Goldberg (1860–1935), Zionist leader and philanthropist from Russia
* Maurice de Hirsch (1831–1896), German Jewish financier and philanthropist,founder of the Jewish Colonization Association

## References[edit]

1. ^ Yves Laissus, "Cent ans d'histoire", 1907-2007 - Les Amis du Muséum, centennial special, September 2007, supplement to the quarterly publication Les Amis du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, n° 230, June 2007, ISSN 1161-9104 (in French).
2. ^ Naeh, Liat (2020-09-25). "#EOTalks 10: Archaeological Display and Omission: The 1936 Exhibition of Judith Krause-Marquet's Finds from A-Tell (Biblical Ha-Ai) at the Crossroad of British, Palestinian, and Israeli Perspectives by LIAT NAEH". Everyday Orientalism. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
3. ^ Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel, vol. 2, "Rothschild, Baron Edmond-James de", p. 966
4. ^ Hyamson, Albert M. Palestine: A Policy, Methuen, 1942 p. 58
5. ^ Daniel P. Kotzin, Judah L. Magnes: An American Jewish Nonconformist, Syracuse University Press, 2010 p. 235.
6. ^ David Whitten Smith, Elizabeth Geraldine Burr, Understanding World Religions: A Road Map for Justice and Peace, Revised Ed., Rowman & Littlefield, 2014 p.224.
7. ^ a b "About Yad Hanadiv | Yad Hanadiv".
8. ^ "About Us". Ramat HaNadiv. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
9. ^ "Error1-2010". Bankisrael.gov.il. Retrieved 2014-04-22.

## Further reading[edit]

* Antébi, Elizabeth (2003). Edmond de Rothschild : l'homme qui racheta la terre sainte (in French). Monaco: Rocher. ISBN 978-2268044422.
* Aharonson, Ran (2000). Rothschild and Early Jewish Colonization in Palestine. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-9654930581.
* Patai, Raphael (1971). "Rothschild, Baron Edmond-James de". Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel. Vol. 2\. New York: Herzl Press. p. 966.
* Schama, Simon (1978). Two Rothschilds and the Land of Israel. New York: Knopf. ISBN 978-0394501376.

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Edmond James de Rothschild at Wikimedia Commons
* Rothschild Archive
* Waddesdon Manor

* v
* t
* e

Rothschild

General|

* Genealogy of the Rothschild family
* Mayer Amschel Rothschild
* Amschel Mayer Rothschild
* Rothschild Mausoleum
* Rothschild Park
* Prix Rothschild
* Baron Rothschild
* Baron Rothschild (Austria)
* British Empire
* French Empire
* Austro-Hungarian Empire
* Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
* Holy See

Banking and
companies|

* Rothschild & Co
* RIT Capital Partners
* Edmond de Rothschild Group
* de Rothschild Frères
* S. M. von Rothschild
* Imerys
* Eramet
* Club Med
* Libération
* Economist Group (The Economist)
* Mouton Cadet
* Opus One Winery
* Chemins de Fer du Nord
* Vítkovice Mining and Iron Corporation
* Palestine Jewish Colonization Association
* Yad Hanadiv
* Creditanstalt
* British South Africa Company
* Rio Tinto
* De Beers
* Caspian and Black Sea Oil Company
* Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
* Asia Resource Minerals
* Genel Energy
* Alliance Assurance

Properties|

* Rothschild properties in the Home counties
* Ascott House
* Aston Clinton House
* Champneys
* Eythrope
* Exbury Gardens
* Gunnersbury Park
* Halton House
* Mentmore Towers
* Tring Park Mansion
* Waddesdon Manor
* Spencer House
* Palais Rothschild
* Château Mouton Rothschild
* Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay
* Château Clarke
* Château de Ferrières
* Château Lafite
* Château de Laversine
* Château des Laurets
* Château de la Muette
* Château Rothschild, Boulogne-Billancourt
* Haras de Meautry
* Hôtel Lambert
* Hôtel de Marigny
* Hôtel de Pontalba
* Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild
* Talleyrand Building

Austria|

* Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
* Anselm Salomon von Rothschild
* Mathilde Hannah von Rothschild
* Nathaniel Mayer Anselm von Rothschild
* Ferdinand de Rothschild
* Salomon Albert Anmselm von Rothschild
* Ludwig (Louis) von Rothschild
* Eugéne Daniel von Rothschild
* Jeanne Stuart von Rothschild
* Alice Charlotte von Rothschild

England|

* Alfred de Rothschild
* Amschel Mayor James Rothschild
* Anthony Gustav de Rothschild
* Anthony James de Rothschild
* Anthony Nathan de Rothschild
* Charles Rothschild
* Charlotte Henriette de Rothschild
* David Mayer de Rothschild
* Dorothy de Rothschild
* Edmund Leopold de Rothschild
* Emma Georgina Rothschild
* Evelina de Rothschild
* Evelyn Achille de Rothschild
* Sir Evelyn de Rothschild
* Ferdinand de Rothschild
* Hannah de Rothschild, Countess of Rosebery
* Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
* Kathleen (Nica de Koenigswarter) Rothschild
* Leopold de Rothschild
* Leopold David de Rothschild
* Lionel de Rothschild
* Lionel Nathan de Rothschild
* Lynn Forester de Rothschild
* Mayer Amschel de Rothschild
* Miriam Louisa Rothschild
* Nathaniel de Rothschild
* Nathan Mayer Rothschild
* Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
* Nathaniel Philip Rothschild
* Nicky Hilton Rothschild
* Serena Rothschild
* Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
* Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild

France|

* Alphonse James de Rothschild
* Aline Caroline de Rothschild
* Ariane de Rothschild
* Arthur de Rothschild
* Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
* Benjamin de Rothschild
* Betty von Rothschild
* Charlotte de Rothschild
* Bethsabée de Rothschild
* David René de Rothschild
* Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild
* Edmond James de Rothschild
* Édouard Etienne de Rothschild
* Edouard Alphonse de Rothschild
* Élie de Rothschild
* Elisabeth de Rothschild
* Guy de Rothschild
* Hélène de Rothschild
* Henri de Rothschild
* Jacqueline Rebecca de Rothschild
* James Armand de Rothschild
* James Mayer de Rothschild
* Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
* Nadine de Rothschild
* Nathaniel Robert de Rothschild
* Nicole de Rothschild
* Pauline de Rothschild
* Philippe de Rothschild
* Philippine de Rothschild
* Salomon James de Rothschild
* Maurice de Rothschild
* Gustave de Rothschild
* Robert de Rothschild
* Alain de Rothschild
* Éric de Rothschild
* Marie Angliviel de la Beaumelle

Naples|

* Charlotte von Rothschild
* Carl Mayer von Rothschild
* Mayer Carl von Rothschild
* Adelheid von Rothschild
* Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild
* Berthe von Rothschild
* Thérèse von Rothschild
* Marguerite de Rothschild
* Bina von Rothschild

* Category: Rothschild family

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data
* Germany
* Israel
* United States
* Netherlands
* Poland
* 2
* Vatican

Artists|

* RKD Artists
* ULAN

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* SNAC
* IdRef

*[m.]: married
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template