“Einstein was, however, very sympathetic to Israel. In 1947 he expressed his belief in Zionism as well as the importance of ‘friendly and fruitful’ cooperation between Jews and Arabs. Despite his dedication to political issues, Einstein worried that he lacked the interpersonal skills to be a world leader. Still, Einstein added, ‘my relationship to the Jewish people has become my strongest human bond, ever since I became fully aware of our precarious situation among the nations of the world,’ and he was ‘deeply moved’ by Weizmann’s offer.”

CAMERA cited authoritative sources in making its case to the History Channel.

Contrary to the assertion that Einstein was “never an ardent Zionist,” Einstein expressed great admiration of and identification with Zionism.

In a letter to India Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on June 13, 1947, Einstein wrote, “Long before the emergence of Hitler I made the cause of Zionism mine because through it I saw a means of correcting a flagrant wrong. … The Jewish people alone has for centuries been in the anomalous position of being victimized and hounded as a people, though bereft of all the rights and protections which even the smallest people normally has. … Zionism offered the means of ending this discrimination.

“Through the return to the land to which they were bound by close historic ties. … Jews sought to abolish their pariah status among peoples. … The advent of Hitler underscored with a savage logic all the disastrous implications contained in the abnormal situation in which Jews found themselves. Millions of Jews perished ... because there was no spot on the globe where they could find sanctuary. … The Jewish survivors demand the right to dwell amid brothers, on the ancient soil of their fathers.” 

The implication in the History Channel’s initial phrasing — that Zionism from the beginning did not believe in cooperation between Jews and Arabs — also is contradicted by the words of David Ben-Gurion, certainly an ardent Zionist, who was a primary founder of the State of Israel and its first prime minister.