Posted at 14:17h in Events, Wine industry, Wines by Avi 0 Comments
A conference on the subject of the Englishman, Sir Moses Montefiore, was held recently at Mishkenot Sha’ananim in Jerusalem. It was entitled: ‘Moses Montefiore: The Man Behind The Windmill’ and was attended by people from all over the world.
The first lecture of the three day conference was given by Adam Montefiore, the first member of the family ever to make aliyah to Israel. He is a direct descendant of Moses Montefiore’s nephew and heir, and fifth generation after Sir Moses. Adam spoke about his distinguished ancestor’s agricultural vision, his observation that vines and olive trees were growing everywhere in the Holy Land/ Palestine and his recommendation to plant vines and olive trees to ‘give a taste for agriculture’.
Moses Montefiore was the first person to recommend agriculture and the planting of vines in Israel, no less than fifty years before Herzl and Zionism and forty years before the founding of a modern Israeli wine industry. The late and legendary wine critic, Daniel Rogov, wrote that the founders of Shor Winery, Israel’s first recorded winery, were inspired by Moses Montefiore’s view that people should work to earn a living rather than living off charity.
Moses Montefiore was a wine connoisseur drinking a bottle of wine every day. He enjoyed drinking wine with friends, often gave presents of wine and received numerous gifts of wine from people he visited. He was born in Tuscany and was bought up in England, then the center of the world’s wine trade. Moses Montefiore’s relations invested in wine. His nephew, Nathaniel Rothschild, purchased Chateau Mouton in 1853. The brother of his brother in law, Baron James de Rothschild, bought Chateau Lafite in 1868. Finally Baron Edmond de Rothschild, whose uncle’s brother in law was Moses Montefiore, founded Carmel Winery in 1882. Moses Montefiore’s last donations in 1884, were to the new farming villages of Rishon Le Zion and Zamarin (later known as Zichron Ya’acov), which became the main winery towns of Israel.
After his presentation, Adam Montefiore, the wine development director of Carmel Winery, gave a tasting of Carmel & Yatir wines. The Carmel Sumaka Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 and the Yatir Syrah 2009 were the favorites.
The conference also covered many other facets of Sir Moses (Moshe) Montefiore, including the building of the cornerstone of modern Jerusalem, purchasing the first Jewish land for agriculture and the building of the iconic windmill. A variety of professors, authors and experts from different fields, presented an overview of his life, showing him to be an inspiring model for present day Israel. Here was a man who was religious and moderate; who had strong values of social justice and helped Jews and non-Jews; who maintained his strong Sephardi background as he moved through many different worlds; who bridged the Sephardi/ Ashkenazi and secular/ religious divides, and for whom wealth was a blessing that came with an obligation to be philanthropic.
The event was organized by the Jerusalem Foundation, Mishkenot Sha’ananim and the Montefiore Endowment in London.
