David Lindo Alexander (5 October 1842 in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

– 1922) was an English barrister and

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish community leader.Sharman Kadish
‘Alexander, David Lindo (1842–1922)’
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 1 December 2006

Early life and family

David Lindo Alexander was born in the

on 5 October to solicitor Joshua Alexander and his wife Jemima (b. 1809 – d.?), daughter of Sara de Abraham Mocatta (1777–1852) and

David Abarbanel Lindo David Lindo (1772–1852) was an English Sephardi communal worker and elder of Bevis Marks Synagogue. He was born in London on 14 August 1772 to Elias Lindo (1740–1785), a Royal Exchange, London, Royal Exchange broker, and Grace Lumbroso de ...

(1772 -1852). His brother Lionel Lindo Alexander would become a prominent communal worker. His aunt Abigail Lindo had compiled an early English-Hebrew dictionary. Alexander was educated at

City of London School The City of London School, also known as CLS and City, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for Single-sex education, boys in the City of London, England, on the banks of the River Thames next to the Millennium Bridge, ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, where he graduated in mathematics in 1864. In 1886 David Lindo Alexander married Hester (1845–1913), daughter of

stockbroker A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...

Simeon Joseph. The couple had two sons and one daughter.

British Jewry

In 1877 David Lindo Alexander became representative on the

Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established in 17 ...

for the Ashkenazi Central Synagogue in Great Portland Street, rising to become president of the organization between 1903 and 1917. He served as vice-president of the Anglo-Jewish Association and on the council of Jews' College. He also served as President of the Jewish Workingmen's Club and Vice-President of the Home and Hospital for the Jewish Incurables. Alexander was a member of the committees of the Jewish Infants Schools, the Stepney Jewish Schools and the Jews' Hospital and Orphan Asylum.

24 May 1917 letter in ''The Times''

Alexander is remembered as co-signatory, along with

Claude Montefiore Claude Joseph Goldsmid Montefiore, also Goldsmid–Montefiore or just Goldsmid Montefiore (1858–1938) was the intellectual founder of Anglo-Liberal Judaism (UK), Liberal Judaism and the founding president of the World Union for Progress ...

, president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, of a letter to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' on 24 May 1917, which declared "grave objections" to two claims in the "published statements of the

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

leaders": "The first is a claim that the Jewish settlements in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

shall be recognized as possessing a national character in the political sense... the second... is the proposal to invest the Jewish settlers in Palestine with certain special rights in excess of those enjoyed by the rest of the population". On behalf of the Association and the Board of Deputies the two presidents rejected what they saw as the conflation of nationality and religion:

Emanicipated Jews in this country regard themselves primarily as a religious community... They hold Judaism to be a religious system, with which their political status has no concern, and they maintain that, as citizens of the countries in which they live, they are fully and sincerely identified with the national spirit and interests of those countries. It follows that the establishment of a Jewish nationality in Palestine, founded on this theory of Jewish homelessness, must have the effect throughout the world of stamping the Jews as strangers in their native lands.

They also rejected the notion of a charter of rights administered by a Jewish Chartered Company: ".. it is very undesirable that Jews should solicit or accept such a concession, on a basis of political privileges and economic preferences. Any such action would prove a veritable calamity for the whole Jewish people." On 28 May ''The Times'' published critical responses from Lord Rothschild, the

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

, Joseph H. Hertz and from

Chaim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( ; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization and later as the first pre ...

, president of the British Zionist Federation. Following the correspondence in ''The Times'', Alexander's presidency of the Board of Deputies was denounced and on 17 June the letter was condemned by 56 votes to 51 in a vote of censure. As a result of the vote Alexander was forced to resign and he subsequently co-founded the anti-Zionist League of British Jews, an organization dedicated to resisting the allegation that Jewish people constituted a separate political entity. Montefiore also joined the League.

Death

Alexander died on 29 April 1922, aged 79, and was buried next to his wife at Willesden Jewish Cemetery on 2 May.

Notes

References

*Geoffrey Alderman, ‘Montefiore, Claude Joseph Goldsmid- (1858–1938)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 1 December 2006
*'The Future Of The Jews. Palestine And Zionism., Views Of Anglo-Jewry', ''The Times'', Thursday, May 24, 1917; pg. 5; Issue 41486; col A. *'The Future Of The Jews. Zionist Projects., Ideals In Palestine,' ''The Times'', Monday, May 28, 1917; pg. 5; Issue 41489; col A. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, David Lindo 1842 births 1922 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Burials at Willesden Jewish Cemetery English barristers English Jews English people of Portuguese-Jewish descent Members of Lincoln's Inn People educated at the City of London School People from the City of London Presidents of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

Early life and family

British Jewry

24 May 1917 letter in ''The Times''

Death

See also

Notes

References