Bust of Winston Churchill, Mishkenot Sha'ananim

The bust was unveiled in Yael Garden, a plaza outside the original houses of Mishkenot Sha'ananim.[2] Dating to the late 1850s, Mishkenot Sha'ananim helped set the pattern for later Jewish neighborhoods beyond Jerusalem's Old City walls.[4] The restored complex subsequently became a guest house and cultural center hosting writers, artists, scholars, and other creative and intellectual activities.[4]

Uri Dromi, director general of Mishkenot Sha'ananim, described the site as a fitting location for the memorial because of its importance in the renewal of Jewish life beyond the Old City.[2] At the time of the unveiling, organizers planned to move the bust to Mishkenot's international press club after that facility was completed, regarding it as an appropriate setting given Churchill's reputation as a journalist.[2]

The bust was commissioned by the Jerusalem Foundation and cast from an original mold by sculptor Oscar Nemon, whose Churchill statues were described as world-renowned.[1] Nemon had found refuge in Britain after fleeing Nazi Germany, adding historical resonance to the choice of artist.[1]

The idea for the commission originated with Labor MK Isaac Herzog and Anthony Rosenfelder, a Jerusalem Foundation trustee, who were inspired by Churchill and the Jews, a biography by historian Sir Martin Gilbert.[2]

The unveiling took place on a Sunday in November 2012 and was attended by British Ambassador Matthew Gould, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, and members of the Churchill family.[1] The ceremony was timed to mark the 95th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and the 91st anniversary of Churchill's first visit to Jerusalem in 1921, when he traveled to Palestine as Britain's Secretary of State for the Colonies.[1]

Gould expressed hope that the bust would "correct a small historic injustice," remarking that Churchill had not been sufficiently honored in Israel and that his story had not been told enough.[1] Randolph Churchill said of the bust: "It means a huge amount to our family."[1]

Churchill visited Palestine in 1921—his only official visit to the Holy Land—in his capacity as Britain's Secretary of State for the Colonies.[3] During the visit, he expressed support for a Jewish national home in Palestine while also addressing relations between Jews and Arabs.[3] At a tree-planting ceremony on Mount Scopus, he declared: "My heart is full of sympathy for Zionism. The establishment of a Jewish National Home in Palestine will be a blessing to the whole world."[3]

Churchill was already sympathetic to Jewish aspirations for a national home before the visit, and his experiences in Palestine strengthened his admiration for the Jewish people and his support for Zionism. His position was nevertheless accompanied by concerns about the cost of administering the British Mandate and the prospects for coexistence between the Jewish and Arab populations.[3]

Churchill's record on Zionism, Jewish affairs, and wartime policy has remained debated. Critics have cited his failure to order the bombing of concentration camps during the Second World War as a subject of continuing criticism and historical debate.[1]