This book demonstrates that the Balfour Declaration-the British decision to establish a Jewish homeland in postwar Palestine made on November 2, 1917 - was the culmination of over 60 years of active preoccupation with Jewish culture and history among the British elite. Among these activists were the social reformer Lord Shaftesbury, the statesman Benjamin Disraeli, the novelist George Eliot, the archaeologist Charles Warren, and the romantic adventurer Laurence Oliphant. This study demonstrates how admiration for Judaism among the British elite influenced their actions and even their view of the world.