4 non-Jews who helped establish the modern State of Israel, protected Jewish lives
Queen Victoria
Crowned at age 18, Queen Victoria ruled the British Empire from 1837 to 1901, with her reign lasting over 60 years. The queen is one of 11 people featured in the “Hall of Visionaries” exhibit at the Friends of Zion museum because she became the founding patron of the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1865. Visitors who explore the exhibit are invited to walk up to a mural and touch one of the figures, which causes text that explains their story to appear on the screen.
According to the PEF’s website, the organization’s original mission “was to promote research into the archaeology and history, manners and customs and culture, topography, geology and natural sciences of biblical Palestine and the Levant.”
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In a 2016 Facebook post describing Victoria’s placement in the “Hall of Visionaries,” the Friends of Zion credited PEF with introducing to the modern world a land Europeans might have only heard of through the Bible.
“Queen Victoria’s patronage, it can also be said, contributed to a modern recognition of Palestine as the biblical homeland of the Jews, helping to set the stage for the British crown’s later endorsement of the Balfour Declaration of 1917 that supported the call for a national homeland for the Jewish people,” Friends of Zion stated.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
