Norman Bentwich (1883-1971) was the eldest son of Herbert Bentwich, Zionist and founder of Hampstead Synagogue, of whom I have written about previously.
He was a barrister and legal academic, and was the first British-appointed Attorney General of Palestine, a post he held until 1931. Bentwich’s perceived Zionist bias made him increasingly unpopular with Palestinian Arabs, who conducted demonstrations and other protests against his presence in the administration. Some British officials, including the Colonial Office and the Chief Justice of Palestine pushed for his dismissal.
From 1932 to 1951 Bentwich occupied the Chair of International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His first lecture, on “Jerusalem, City of Peace”, was disrupted by Jewish students who considered him too conciliatory towards the Arabs.
Later, he became President of the Jewish Historical Society of England. He wrote the small book which is reproduced below explaining the history and importance of many early English Zionists.
Jewish Miscellanies 