Talk about the Rothschilds and you will automatically think of finance, the arts and philanthropy. However scratch below the surface and then wine, the Jewish community and Israel comes to the fore as an ongoing thread through the remarkable family story. Their influence in the building of the State of Israel is unparalleled
Some of the most fundamental institutions in Israel were founded with financial support from this most famous of Jewish families. The Knesset and new Supreme Court Building were funded by the Rothschilds. Also The Hebrew University, The Israel Museum and Yad Vashem, have all benefited greatly from the generosity of the Rothschild family.
Some towns such as Zichron Yaácov and Binyamina were named after Rothschilds. These and others such as Rishon Le Zion and Caesarea, remain monuments to their support and generosity.
The Rothschilds, the world’s most pre-eminent wine family, have also had a lasting effect on Israeli wine. They created a modern wine industry, renewing a 5,000 year old tradition. Carmel Winery, the largest and most historic winery in Israel, was founded by a Rothschild and this in turn led to the creation of ‘Societe Cooperative Vigneronne des Grandes Caves’ (Agudat Hacormim – the wine growers co-operative). Four of the seven largest wineries in Israel today, (Rishon Le Zion, Zichron Yaácov, Binyamina & Tishbi), point to a strong Rothschildean influence in their story.
The four Rothschilds most relevant to Israel and Israeli wine are as follows:
Baron James (Jacob) de Rothschild.
The five arrows in the family logo symbolize the five sons sent by Mayer Amschel Rothschild from Frankfurt to the main capitals of Europe in order to found banks. The youngest son, James, turned out to be the most successful. He was sent to Paris. There he became the richest man in France, an advisor to two Kings and a man of power and influence to match his financial brilliance. He was known as ‘the Great Baron’. He was originally named Jacob, but changed his name to James when he arrived in Paris. Jacob remained his Hebrew name.
He was very aware of his responsibility to the Jewish community. However his main international involvement was in trying to resolve the Damascus Affair in 1840, with other notables such as Moses Montefiore, a brother in law of Nathan Mayer Rothschild who started the London branch. It was significant in that it was the first time Jews of different nationalities had rallied to assist their downtrodden brethren elsewhere. Some historians term this event the roots of a Jewish nationalism, which later developed into the Zionist Movement.
In 1868 Baron James purchased Chateau Lafite, arguably then and now the most famous winery in the world, which he had been trying to buy for thirty eight years. He had first made an offer for it in 1830. It cost him four million francs, which was four times more than the price of Chateau Mouton. It was then thought to be an outrageous sum of money for a winery. Unfortunately he died a few months later without even visiting his new purchase, but did have time to speculate in his wine, as was revealed in a letter from his son in law Nathaniel, owner of Mouton.
His main connection to Israel was through the naming of ‘Zichron Ya’acov’, which literally means ‘In Memory of Jacob’. Early wine labels will show that both the village and winery were originally referred to as ‘Zichron Jacob’. This anglicized version was also used in registering the wine growers cooperative in 1906 (S C V des Grand Caves Richon Le Zion & Zichron Jacob Ltd.) and it still exists in that format today. However when the Israeli settlers replaced Rothschild’s administrators in managing their own affairs and Hebrew replaced French as the language used, the ‘Zichron Jacob’ gradually became more commonly referred to as ‘Zichron Ya’acov.’
In the world of wine there are two very famous wineries carrying the name of the Rothschild family – Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Zichron Yaácov Wine Cellars is not only the only winery named after a specific Rothschild but also the only one privileged to be named after the Rothschild who bought Chateau Lafite!
Baron Edmond (Benjamin) de Rothschild (1845-1934)
Baron Edmond was the third son of Baron James and he inherited Chateau Lafite with his three brothers. He paid an important role in the history and development of Israel.
He was known by David Ben Gurion as the ‘Father of the Yishuv’ and he spent close to 40 million francs purchasing and reclaiming land, supporting thirty new villages and sponsoring new agricultural settlements. Initially he was known as ‘Hanadiv Hayadua’ – The Well-Known Benefactor, because his donations were given anonymously.
In 1882 he began his involvement in Palestine by sending France’s finest agronomists to survey the land. He then sent his own viticulturists with cuttings from Chateau Lafite’s vines in order to plant vineyards, which quickly became the dominant form of agriculture. He built the wineries at Rishon Le Zion in 1890 and Zichron Yaácov in 1892 and sent Bordeaux winemakers to make the first vintages. He even sent the winemaker of Chateau Lafite itself to act as a consultant in the 1890’s. His investment in the wineries that later became known as Carmel was 11 million francs – an enormous amount when set against the 4 million francs needed to buy Chateau Lafite.
It was really Baron Edmond’s objective to create a fine Israeli wine. He insisted on planting quality Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc and chided his officials who expressed doubts. Unfortunately, a market for cheaper and sweeter wines opened up at the same time that the vineyards became affected by phylloxera. Realities overcame the quality vision and the necessity of sales and profits encouraged a change of strategy.The diseased vineyards were then replaced by varieties from the south of France like Carignan and Grenache - more suitable for the hot, humid Palestine climate. There is no doubt that Baron Edmond would take great satisfaction from the current Carmel Limited Edition, the flagship of the winery he founded. Not only because of its quality, but also because it is a blend of the Bordeaux varieties which were part of his original grand plan.
Baron Edmond is commemorated today by the Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv and the town of Binyamina is named after his Hebrew name, Benjamin. Many of the other villages he supported were given names to commemorate other members of his family. Apart from ‘Zichron Yaácov’ named for his father, ‘Meir Shefaya’ was named after his grandfather, ‘Bat Shlomo’ was named after his father in law and ‘Mazkeret Batya’ was named after his wife.
Today he is remembered as one of the founding fathers of Israel. When the shekel currency was reintroduced in Israel in the early 1980’s for the first time since Biblical times, each of the shekel notes featured one of the main founding fathers. Herzl, Ben Gurion, Weizmann, Jabotinsky, Montefiore & Baron Edmond de Rothschild were each commemorated. The 500 shekel note featured Baron Edmond and appropriately on the reverse side was a bunch of grapes.
Baron Edmond first featured on a wine label with the legendary Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserves of 1976 and 1979 – thought to be Israel’s first international class wines. During the mid 1980’s to mid 1990’s, Carmel’s premier label was called ‘Rothschild’ – also featuring a picture of the Baron. Nowadays he still appears on the Private Collection label used for the Israel market.
Tishbi Winery was founded in 1985 by a family of growers, whose previous generations had planted vineyards for Rothschild in the 1880’s. In honor of the Baron Edmond, the winery was registered as Baron Wine Cellars Ltd.
Baron Edmond died in 1934 and his remains were re-interred in 1954 in the State of Israel at Ramat Hanadiv, a place on the southern Mount Carmel slopes appropriately overlooking Zichron Yaácov, Binyamina and Caesarea.
James Rothschild (1878-1957)
James Rothschild, the son of Baron Edmond, was French born, but went on to become a British citizen and even a politician serving as a Member of Parliament in England. However he inherited his father’s love of Israel and his generosity.
He served in the First World War in the British Army, serving as a Major in Palestine for ‘the Jewish Legion’. He was a great friend of Chaim Weizmann, doing much of the groundwork with him that resulted in the Balfour Declaration.
In 1924 he was appointed by his father to manage and direct the Palestine Jewish Colonization Association, known as PICA. He was therefore involved in the founding of Binyamina, which was named after his father’s Hebrew name, Benjamin.
In 1952 PICA approved the formation of a new winery in Binyamina called Eliaz. This was situated on the premises of a failed perfume factory called Jasmin that was built by the Rothschild’s in 1925. The winery now trades under the name Binyamina.
In 1957 just before his death, PICA was disbanded. James Rothschild donated the funds required to build the Knesset Building and returned all the lands owned by PICA to the State. This grant was the largest gift ever given to the State of Israel. The wineries at Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Yaácov, were donated to SCV des Grandes Caves. This brought to an end the Rothschild involvement in Israeli wine which had lasted from 1882 to 1957.
Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1926-1971)
Baron Edmond was the grandson of the ‘Hanadiv’ and lived in Geneva. In the Rothschild tradition he was also a banker, collector and benefactor.
He also became a winery owner. At one stage he had the opportunity to buy Chateau Margaux. He considered it, but decided instead to become a pioneer. Unlike his illustrious cousins in Bordeaux, he chose to purchase and redevelop an unknown winery called Chateau Clarke in 1973. This put the unfashionable appellation of Listrac, east of Margaux in the Medoc, on the wine map. He produced the first kosher wine to be made by a Rothschild outside Israel. It was called Barons Rothschild and it was produced at Chateau Clarke.
He was probably the biggest Zionist of the younger generation. Whereas his grandfather made his mark in the settlement of land and agriculture, ‘Edmond the younger’ is remembered more for his investments in the industrialization of Israel. He was the one of the founding fathers of the Israel Museum and one of its most generous benefactors. He was chairman of the Caesarea Foundation which he established in 1962. Its subsidiary, the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Development Corporation, was created to develop the residential, industrial, tourism and leisure areas of Caesarea.
His company’s main contact with Israeli wine was the agreement reached between Compagnie Vinicole de Edmond & Benjamin de Rothschild and SCV des Grandes Caves Carmel in the 1990’s to protect and preserve the Rothschild name in Israel. As a result of this, the Rothschild label, then Carmel’s premier label, was replaced by Private Collection.
The Current Rothschilds
Apart from owning two of the most famous wineries in the world and having extensive wine interests in Bordeaux, the current Rothschilds also have wine interests in the South of France, Argentina, Chile, Italy, Portugal and South Africa. The members of the Rothschild family involved in wine are as follows:
Baronness Philippine de Rothschild (1935- )
Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA
Baronness Philippine de Rothschild is today owner of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and the large Bordeaux Negociants, Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. Mouton was purchased in 1853 by Nathaniel Rothschild, who was from the English side of the family (the son of Nathan Mayer Rothschild.) Her father, the legendary Baron Philippe, was probably the most innovative and flamboyant figure in the world of wine in the twentieth century. She took over in 1988 when her father died.
She inherited the famous Bordeaux Chateaux Mouton Rothschild, Clerc Milon and d’Armailhac and Mouton Cadet, the world’s first wine brand and largest selling Bordeaux wine. She took over Opus One, the high profile joint venture between Robert Mondavi and her father. She played a big part in the design and development of the cathedral-like winery in the Napa Valley. Her own initiatives included expanding the company with a joint venture in Chile (with Concha Y Toro) and developments in the Languedoc. It was also her decision to produce a white wine, Aile d’Argent , from Mouton’s vineyards.
Philippine had a dramatic childhood living through The Second World War and she lost her mother who was killed in Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, basically because she was a Rothschild. However the Rothschilds from Mouton are not involved in Israel or the Jewish community, though they have produced a kosher version of Mouton Cadet for Jews who observe the Jewish Dietary Laws.
Baron Eric de Rothschild (1940- )
Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Domaines Barons Rothschild (Lafite)
The current resident of Chateau Lafite is Baron Eric who divides his time between running the family bank, managing Lafite and philanthropy to the Jewish community and Israel. His tenure at Lafite started in 1974. He galvanized the estate, shook things up and was instrumental in bringing back the great days of old to this most famous of wineries.
He started with two wineries, Lafite and Chateau Duhart-Milon, but first chose to expand his interests in Bordeaux by purchasing Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes and Chateau L’Évangile in Pomerol. He then took Domaines Barons Rothschild (Lafite) overseas creating joint ventures in Argentina (Caro with Catena), Chile (Los Vasgos) and Portugal (Quinta do Carmo.) At one stage DBR also had interests in California (The Chalone Group). The latest ventures are in Italy and the Languedoc.
Baron Eric, a leading lay leader of the French Jewish community, was the driving force behind the new Shoah - Holocaust Memorial in Paris, opened by President Chirac in 2005. As far as Israel is concerned he remains an International Board Member of the Peres Center for Peace. He has his own initiatives promoting co-existence involving both Israeli Arabs, and Bedouin in the Negev. He is a staunch supporter of higher education and scientific research in Israel
He is a supporter of Israel wine too, once writing: “The pleasure both physical and traditional of drinking wine is so strongly embedded in our Jewish culture, that we must now make every effort possible to enhance the quality of wines in Israel.” He is proud of his great, great grand uncle Edmond’s efforts to found Carmel. He occasionally visits wineries such as Domaine du Castel, has followed the progress of Yatir Winery and has been known to visit Israel wine exhibitions.
Baron Benjamin de Rothschild (1963- )
Chateau Clarke and Compagnie Vinicole de Edmond & Benjamin de Rothschild
Benjamin is the great grandson of the first Edmond, and son of the second. He is the richest of all the Rothschilds and is involved as chairman or director of twenty financial institutions and banks in Europe, the United States and Israel.
He continues his father’s interests in Israel by chairing the Caesarea Foundation. He also maintains his fathers’ dream by continuing to develop Chateau Clarke and the nearby Chateaux Peyre-Labade and Malmaison. He continues to market the kosher wine produced by his father: ‘Barons Rothschild’, but has also added a kosher cuvee from Chateau Malmaison to his portfolio. He has inherited a sixth share of the ownership of Chateau Lafite.
His main wine initiative has been focused on South Africa, where he formed a joint venture with industrialist Anton Rupert’s family to form Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons. He has also planted vineyards in Argentina.
Lord Jacob Rothschild (1936- )
Lord Jacob Rothschild represents the English Rothschilds. He is also a financier with an interest in wine and a loyalty to Israel.
In 1988 he inherited Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire from Dorothy Rothschild, James Rothschild’s widow. Its cellars hold 15,000 bottles - one of the finest collections of Rothschild wines in the world. Furthermore there is a wine shop on site which is a showcase for the family wines. It is the only wine shop in the world which lists all the wines owned or part owned by the Rothschilds.
Lord Rothschild is not active in the wine trade, but he is an investor in the Royal Tokaj Wine Co. and is a co-owner of Chateau Lafite (with a sixth share.)
He is chairman of Yad Hanadiv, the Rothschild Foundation, which continued the work of PICA and made the large donations to enable the building of the Knesset Building and the Supreme Court Building to Israel.
The main Rothschilds who are active in Israel in the 21st century are Baron Eric, Baron Benjamin and Lord Jacob. Coincidentally, each are partners in the ownership of Chateau Lafite. So even today, as was the case 120 years ago, the Lafite Rothschilds have continued their support of Israel and Jewish causes. This is done in the same modest, low key way as exemplified by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, who created, financed and supported a modern Israel wine industry.
