Chosen Peoples: Being the First "arthur Davis Memorial Lecture" Delivered Before the Jewish Historical Society at University College on Easter-Passover Sunday, 1918/5678

The phrase "chosen people" has fueled anti-Semitism for centuries. But what if being chosen means something entirely different than privilege? What if it means obligation? In this bracing 1918 lecture, delivered on Easter-Passover Sunday at University College London, Zangwill reimagines the concept of Jewish chosenness, transforming it from a claim of divine favor into a profound ethical mandate. He argues that the biblical promise of election carries no connotations of racial supremacy; rather, it imposes a sacred burden to serve humanity's collective destiny. Tracing this responsibility through biblical narrative and Jewish history, Zangwill illuminates the dual currents of self-interest and altruism that have always shaped Jewish identity, ultimately proposing that the Jewish mission is not to隔离 but to illuminate, not to dominate but to mend. Delivered as the First World War's shadow still hung over Europe, this lecture speaks across a century to anyone wrestling with questions of particular identity and universal responsibility.