History Channel: Yes, Einstein was a Zionist

The History Channel has reaffirmed its commitment to accuracy by revising its “Albert Einstein: Fact or Fiction?” webpage to report that Einstein was, in fact, supportive of Zionism.

On July 11, it replaced erroneous wording that tended to negatively portray Israel: “Though he was very sympathetic to Israel, he was never an ardent Zionist — he believed in ‘friendly and fruitful’ cooperation between Jews and Arabs.” 

There were two problems here: the erroneous characterization of Einstein’s attitude toward Zionism, and the erroneous implication that Zionism and Israel from the outset did not believe in cooperation between Arabs and Jews.

The History Channel’s revised wording reads, “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.” The case for revision was made by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) in correspondence with Kimberly Gilmore, the network’s historian and director of corporate outreach.

The revised paragraph reads:

“Did Einstein really almost become the president of Israel? Yes. In 1952, Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, asked his friend Albert Einstein (‘the greatest Jew alive,’ Weizmann said) if he would be willing to lead the young nation. Though the Israelis assured him that ‘complete facility and freedom to pursue your great scientific work would be afforded by a government and people who are fully conscious of the supreme significance of your labors,’ Einstein turned down the offer.