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Edmond de Rothschild: Finding Zion
Edmond de Rothschild: Finding Zion
By James McAuley
Published May 19, 2026
320 pages
“Absorbing, innovative” —Derek Penslar
An absorbing portrait of Edmond de Rothschild, who defied his class to help build a nation—and found his identity in the process
Edmond de Rothschild (1845–1934) was born into one of the wealthiest families in history, but his legacy lies beyond banking, art, and aristocratic privilege. In this compelling biography, award-winning historian and journalist James McAuley tells the story of a man who defied his elite world to support a radical cause: the creation of a Jewish homeland.
Drawing on rare access to archives—including Rothschild’s own long-lost memoir—McAuley reveals how and why this reserved French aesthete became a driving force in the early Zionist settlement of Palestine. Rothschild’s journey from the salons of Paris to the fields of Eretz Israel is a tale of emotional awakening, political conviction, and personal transformation—of a man’s search for a cause and discovery of himself.
About the Author
James McAuley is the author of The House of Fragile Things: Jewish Collectors and the Fall of France, winner of the National Jewish Book Award in history. He is a former Paris correspondent for the Washington Post, as well as a contributor to the New York Review of Books and other publications.
Author photograph © Serena Bolton
Reviews
“James McAuley brilliantly unwraps the mystery of Edmond de Rothschild: an aesthete in pursuit of beauty, a collector in search of objects, a Jew stung by antisemitism, and a philanthropist committed to his impoverished co-religionists in the land of Israel. McAuley has produced an absorbing, innovative, and elegantly written account of the life of Edmond, his wife Adelheid, and the extended French Rothschild family.” —Derek Penslar, author of Theodor Herzl: The Charismatic Leader
“How did a young French Rothschild become a passionate Zionist, one of the most consequential advocates for the Jewish people in history? That is the question at the heart of this superb biography of Edmond de Rothschild. McAuley, a gifted writer, brings his deep knowledge of nineteenth–century French Jewish history to the compelling story of this life.” —Jean Strouse, author of Family Romance: John Singer Sargent and the Wertheimers
“With scholarly rigor and narrative grace, McAuley traces Edmond de Rothschild’s Zionist odyssey—from vision to implementation—situating his achievements within the crosscurrents of his time. Accessible, original, and deeply researched, this is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand a seminal architect of Zionism and the enduring legacy he left behind.” —Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, author of For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today
“McAuley combines scholarly rigour with narrative flair to illuminate the enigma of Edmond de Rothschild. Elegantly written and immaculately researched, this is a definitive biography—fresh in insight, rich in character—of a philanthropist powered by conviction and an uncompromising pursuit of perfection.”—Natalie Livingstone, author of The Women of Rothschild
