Norman Bentwich Collection

Personal correspondence, correspondence in Arabic and English received as Legal Secretary to Government of Palestine, 1921-1929; papers on legal administration under the Palestine and Iraq Mandates; papers relating to his work in Ethiopia, 1943, and material on Ethiopia’s claim to Eritrea and Somalia, Falasha Jews. Notes of interviews in Paris relating to efforts to help Jewish refugees from Germany, 1934.

Norman de Mattos Bentwich (1883-1971)

Son of Herbert Bentwich. Educated St. Paul’s School and Trinity College, Cambridge. Called to the Bar, 1908. Served Ministry of Justice, Cairo, 1912-1915; Major, Camel transport, 1916-1918; Attorney-General, Government of Palestine, 1920-1931; Professor of International Relations, Jerusalem University, 1932-1951; Director of High Commission for Refugees from Germany, 1933-1935; Chairman National Peace Council, 1944-1946; Chairman United Restitution Office, 1948-; Foreign Office Committee on Restitution in British Zone of Germany, 1951; President Jewish Historical Society 1960-1962. Married 1915 Helen Franklin (died April 1972). Died 8 April 1971.

1. Correspondence

2. Palestine Papers

3. Ethiopia

4. Notes of Interviews: Helping Jewish refugees

Open

For further information on how to use the Middle East Centre Archive, please see our Archon entry at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/a/A13531965

Given by David Franklin (executor of Helen Bentwich) and Dr. Walter Zander, 1972

Norman Bentwich Collection Catalogue (pdf file)

Fonds level description created by Clare Brown 11 Jun 1998 and revised by Debbie Usher 27 Sept 2006, series and file level added by Thomas Stanbury 8 March 2012 and revised by Debbie Usher 21 Aug 2012.

No restrictions on copying or quotation other than statutory regulations and preservation concerns