Sir Martin Gilbert
Photo: AP
Martin Gilbert, historian of Israel and Holocaust, dies at 79
Prolific author chronicled Jewish history, including Shoah, Arab-Israeli conflict, and Jewish Diaspora, as well as Churchill's official biography.
Sir Martin Gilbert, the British Jewish historian who was Winston Churchill's official biographer and wrote extensively on Israel and the Holocaust, has died following a lengthy illness. He was 79.
John Chilcot, a senior British civil servant, told a parliamentary committee Wednesday that Gilbert had died the previous night. Gilbert was a member of Chilcot's panel which is conducting an official investigation of the Iraq war.
Sir Martin Gilbert receives an honorary degree from Ben-Gurion University. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Gilbert wrote more than 80 books, including many with themes related to the World War II. But he is also known for his work on Churchill, including "Churchill: A Life; "Churchill: The Power of Words," and "Continue to Pester, Nag, and Bite: Churchill's War Leadership."
Sir Martin Gilbert wrote over 80 books (Photo: AP)
Other titles include "Israel: A History," and the three-volume "History of the 20th Century."
Popular British historian Simon Schama, whose television series The Story of the Jews was broadcast on BBC in 2013, expressed his sorrow over Gilbert's passing on Twitter.
deeply saddened to hear of the death of Martin Gilbert alav hashalom: a great historian who wrote from the heart as well as the head
— Simon Schama (@simon_schama) February 4, 2015
Martin Gilbert a good Jew as well as a fine, astoundingly prolific historian.He only wrote what he cared about and it showed on every page
— Simon Schama (@simon_schama) February 4, 2015
Gilbert was knighted for services to British history and international relations.
His funeral will reportedly take place in Beit Shemesh on Thursday.
