INFORMATION to USERS Xerox University Microfilms

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

INFORMATION to USERS Xerox University Microfilms INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following eKplaiiaiiOi'i of LcCililiqUcS iS provided tO help y'Gu Understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to insure you complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a large round black mark, it is an indication that the photographer suspected that the copy may have moved during exposure and thus cause a blurred image. You will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., was part of the material being photographed the photographer followed a definite method in "sectioning" the material. It is customary to begin photoing at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue photoing from left to right in equal sections with a small overlap. If necessary, sectioning is continued again — beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. The majority of users indicate that the textual content is of greatest value, however, a somewhat higher quality reproduction could be made from "photographs" if essential to the understanding of the dissertation. Silver prints of "photographs" may be ordered at additional charge by writing the Order Department, giving the catalog number, title, author and specific pages you wish reproduced. 5. PLEASE NOTE: Some pages may have indistinct print. Filmed as received. Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zoob Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 GREENSTEIN, Howard Robert, 1935- THE CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARD ZIONISM IN REFORM JUDAISM, 1937-1948. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1973 History, general University Microfilms, A XEROX Company , Ann Arbor, Michigan 0 1974 HOWARD ROBERT GREENSTEIN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. THE CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARD ZIONISM IN REFORM JUDAISM, 1937-19^8 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Howard R0 Greenstein# B.A., A»M0 The Ohio State University 1973 Reading Committeei Approved By Robert Chazan Hare Raphael Bradley Chapin Advist Department of History VITA August 22, 1935 , e . Born - Providence, Rhode Island 1957.............. B, A,, Cornell University, Ithaca. New York 1962 eeeeeeoe MeA«, Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, Ohio 1973 . Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology, Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, Florida FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Jewish History Studies in Sociology, Professor John Quarantelli Studies In American History. Professor Mary Young ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page VITA ........................................ li INTRODUCTION ................... 1 Chapter THE PRELUDE TO THE COLUMBUS PLATFORM , . 1U THE JEWISH ARMY CONTROVERSY AND THE RISE OF THE AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR J U D A I S M ........ 57 THE HOUSTON CONTROVERSY................... 89 ADVOCATES AND ADVERSARIES: THE INNER CONFLICT OVER ZIONISM. ...... 125 DEBATE OVER THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONFERENCE.................... 175 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................. 219 NOTES. ............................ 230 MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS AND UNPUBLISHED MATERIALS NEWSPAPERS PERIODICALS OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS BOOKS AND PHAMPHLETS ARTICLES UNPUBLISHED THESES AND DISSERTATIONS APPENDIX A......... 283 B. ................................... 288 C................................... 290 Du . a.«.0..oo.a...(o..a.u 291 iii INTRODUCTION The conflict between Zionism and Reform Judaism actually originated in the aftermath of the Rrench Revolution. The ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity shattered the foundations of autocracies which had existed in Europe for centuries. With the Declaration of the Rights of Man, thousands of Jews envisioned the imminent arrival of the Messianic Age and actively solicited support for a program of Liberal Judaism which would divest Jewish life of its parochial features and emphasize instead those moral principles on which all men could and inevitably would unite. They proclaimed an abiding faith in the redemption of the Jewish people and all peoples through the democratic process, and they lived by that faith. Many of them even believed that Judaism properly conceived and practiced, would eventually destroy itself, because a world of peace and harmony would no longer require the Jewish people as the special envoys of moral truth. The early leaders of Reform Judaism in Germany and later in America were not only liberals intellectually. They were firm believers in the political Messianism whi.eh proclaimed the is'inl- nent brotherhood of all men. They joined their politic- 1 liberal" ism to their spiritual liberalism and declared that Reform Judaism 1 was not only a religion for the liberated mind of the new day,, but that it was now and forever anti-nationalist. Whereas traditional Judaism had temporarily suspended all laws depending upon residence in Israel for their fulfillments Reform completely abrogated them. It rejected all laws pertaining to the priests and Levites and declared instead that all Jews were a "kingdom of priests and a holy people1' and that the obligations for moral purity applied to every Jew with equal responsibility. The Reform prayerbook eliminated references to "Galut" {Exile) or to a Messiah who would miraculously restore world Jewry to the land of Israel and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. It eliminated all prayers referring to "Shivat Zion” (a return to Zion)» since Reform Judaism insisted that the mission of Judaism required the active participation of Jews in all lands, of the Diaspora. They regarded the nationalist period of Jewish life as only a temporary stage in the evolutionary development of Judaism which existed only to prepare the Jewish people for the opportunity of service to all mankind. At the time of the Pittsburgh Platform in 1885j Reform Judaism could have or had already become the religion of the majority of American Jews. The climate of social liberalism and the birth of the Social Gospel in American Protestantism made Reform Judaism and its emphasis on prophetic moralities extremely palatable to large numbers of Jews who welcomed as 3 few differences as possible between them and their non-Jewish neighbors., By the end of the 19th Century, the majority of congregations in the United States were in fact affiliated with the national synagogue body of Reform Judaism, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC)o When the tide of Jewish immigration to America shifted from its source in Germany to sources in Eastern Europe, the Reform movement began to suffer from a numerical decline. East European immigrants at first did not join, and certainly did not establish any Reform Temples. It was not the liberalism of the Reform Synagogue which discouraged them. Many of them were extremely daring in their political and social ideologies and would have found considerable reinforcement in Reform synagogues. YJhat alienated them from Reform Judaism more than anything else was its repudiation of Jewish nationhood. The immigrants from Eastern Europe had been oppressed as a people and uprooted as a people, regardless of their religious beliefs. Experience had taught them that what really mattered was not how they wor­ shipped, but who they were. Their experience would not permit them to deny their identity as a people, and they were convinced that those who did deny that reality were either fools or dreamers. These new immigrants were not all Jewish Nationalists, but all of them acknowledged the reality and the primacy of Jewish people- hood. Jewish Nationalists did not share the enthusiasm of Reform Jews for the promise of the Emancipation# The prospect of complete freedom for the Jew, in their estimation, was and remained a Messianic hope and not a reality# The oppression, persecution and suffering, which they had endured, convinced them that ordinary safeguards for human liberty did not include Jews* The only assurance of creative Jewish survival, they claimed, rested on the principle of self-determination for the Jewish people# Only if the Jewish people enjoyed the same condi­ tions of sovereignty and independence as other people, only if they could achieve a "normal" existence, could they expect to live fully as free men# Such conditions required a nation of their own# Any other arrangement was a hopeless enterprise, doomed to inevitable disaster# The emergence of modem Zionism under the leadership of Theodore Herzl began with this proposi­ tion as its promise# For fifty years following the first Basel Conference, the Zionist movement labored to achieve the fulfill­ ment of its dream, the reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Palestine# Zionism elicited substantial support in lands where the problem of Jewish "horaelessness" was an oppressive reality0 The Jews of Eastern Europe, who suffered repeated waves of persecu­ tion under Polish and Russian monarchs, appreciated the implica­ tions of Herzl0s analysis for their own safety and security# The
Recommended publications
  • American Jewish Yearbook
    JEWISH STATISTICS 277 JEWISH STATISTICS The statistics of Jews in the world rest largely upon estimates. In Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany, and a few other countries, official figures are obtainable. In the main, however, the num- bers given are based upon estimates repeated and added to by one statistical authority after another. For the statistics given below various authorities have been consulted, among them the " Statesman's Year Book" for 1910, the English " Jewish Year Book " for 5670-71, " The Jewish Ency- clopedia," Jildische Statistik, and the Alliance Israelite Uni- verselle reports. THE UNITED STATES ESTIMATES As the census of the United States has, in accordance with the spirit of American institutions, taken no heed of the religious convictions of American citizens, whether native-born or natural- ized, all statements concerning the number of Jews living in this country are based upon estimates. The Jewish population was estimated— In 1818 by Mordecai M. Noah at 3,000 In 1824 by Solomon Etting at 6,000 In 1826 by Isaac C. Harby at 6,000 In 1840 by the American Almanac at 15,000 In 1848 by M. A. Berk at 50,000 In 1880 by Wm. B. Hackenburg at 230,257 In 1888 by Isaac Markens at 400,000 In 1897 by David Sulzberger at 937,800 In 1905 by "The Jewish Encyclopedia" at 1,508,435 In 1907 by " The American Jewish Year Book " at 1,777,185 In 1910 by " The American Je\rish Year Book" at 2,044,762 DISTRIBUTION The following table by States presents two sets of estimates.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Different Interpretations of Zionism Within American Reform Judaism: Report on Historical Documents and Current Situation
    JISMOR 15 Exploring Different Interpretations of Zionism within American Reform Judaism: Report on Historical Documents and Current Situation Anri Ishiguro Abstract: This note is a report on part of my current research project exploring in what context a pro-Zionist slant within American Reform Judaism has emerged and how the term “Zionism” has been interpreted. I conducted research at the American Jewish Archives (AJA), located at Hebrew Union College, the Reform Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, from February to March 2019. This report describes part of my research results. During my stay in the United States, I also had the opportunity to participate in the 2nd KAKEHASHI Project “Visiting Program to Los Angeles and San Francisco by Japanese Researchers of Jewish Studies,” an exchange program launched by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As part of the project, I was able to visit Temple Israel of Hollywood, a Reform synagogue where I met Rabbi John L. Rosove (1949-), the most recent National Chairman of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA). In this report, also serving as a kind of record of my stay in US, I would like to present one aspect of Zionist views that positively interpret Zionism within American Reform Judaism, showing the historical transition of interpretations and the current viewpoint of on Zionism by introducing historical material stored in the AJA and Rabbi Rosove’s view. Keywords: American Reform Judaism, Zionism, American Jewish Archives (AJA), Stephen S. Wise, Rabbi John L. Rosove 63 JISMOR 15 1. Introduction At present, I am interested in learning how rabbis who identify themselves as “Zionists” have developed a pro-Zionist slant within American Reform Judaism.
    [Show full text]
  • 2006 Abstracts
    Works in Progress Group in Modern Jewish Studies Session Many of us in the field of modern Jewish studies have felt the need for an active working group interested in discussing our various projects, papers, and books, particularly as we develop into more mature scholars. Even more, we want to engage other committed scholars and respond to their new projects, concerns, and methodological approaches to the study of modern Jews and Judaism, broadly construed in terms of period and place. To this end, since 2001, we have convened a “Works in Progress Group in Modern Jewish Studies” that meets yearly in connection with the Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference on the Saturday night preceding the conference. The purpose of this group is to gather interested scholars together and review works in progress authored by members of the group and distributed and read prior to the AJS meeting. 2006 will be the sixth year of a formal meeting within which we have exchanged ideas and shared our work with peers in a casual, constructive environment. This Works in Progress Group is open to all scholars working in any discipline within the field of modern Jewish studies. We are a diverse group of scholars committed to engaging others and their works in order to further our own projects, those of our colleagues, and the critical growth of modern Jewish studies. Papers will be distributed in November. To participate in the Works in Progress Group, please contact: Todd Hasak-Lowy, email: [email protected] or Adam Shear, email: [email protected] Co-Chairs: Todd S.
    [Show full text]
  • American Jewish History a Qijilrteriy P11bllcatlon of the Amerloan J.Ewlsh Hlstorloal Society
    American Jewish History A QIJilrteriY P11bllcatlon of the Amerloan J.ewlsh Hlstorloal SOciety Two Jewish Lawyers Named Lollis* JONATHAN D. SARNA The year r856 was a vintage year for brilliant Jewish lawyers named Louis. On November 13, r8s6, Louis Brandeis was born in Louisville, Kentucky. One month later, on December 14, r856, Louis Marshall was born in Syracuse, New York. Louis and Louis were both first-generation Americans, born of central European Jewish parents. They both compiled stellar academic records. They both went on to have a profound affect on American law. Both were considered for seats on the U.S. Supreme Court, although only one of them made it.' And both became eminent leaders in American Jewish life. Yet while both men earned enormous respect within the Jewish and general communities, they never became friends and rarely worked to­ gether. They differed religiously, philosophically, and politically. They approached Judaism, America, and even the law itself from sharply different perspectives. The parents of Louis Brandeis and Louis Marshall arrived in America at approximately the same time in the middle of the nineteenth century.' Brandeis' parents hailed from Prague, Marshall's father from Baden and his mother from Wiimemberg. The two fathers had experienced prejudice and privation in central Europe that precipitated their emigration. Adolph Brandeis, who grew up in an urban area and studied at the Technical ,. An earlier version of this paper was delivered as the 1006 B. G. Rudolph Lecture in Judaic Studies at Syracuse University, commemorating the rsorh anniversary of the birth of Louis Marshall. I am grateful to Syracuse University for permitting me to publish the lecture here.
    [Show full text]
  • The Letters of Rabbi Samuel S. Cohon
    Baruch J. Cohon, ed.. Faithfully Yours: Selected Rabbinical Correspondence of Rabbi Samuel S. Cohon during the Years 1917-1957. Jersey City: KTAV Publishing House, 2008. xvii + 407 pp. $29.50, cloth, ISBN 978-1-60280-019-9. Reviewed by Dana Evan Kaplan Published on H-Judaic (June, 2009) Commissioned by Jason Kalman (Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion) Samuel S. Cohon is a largely forgotten fgure. became popular, was deeply interested in Jewish The results of googling his name are quite limited. mysticism. Cohon helped guide the Reform move‐ Michael A. Meyer discusses him in his Response to ment through difficult terrain at a critical time in Modernity and a select number of other writers American Jewish history. Cohon is best known for have analyzed specific aspects of his intellectual his drafting of “The Columbus Platform: The Guid‐ contribution to American Reform Judaism, but ing Principles for Reform Judaism,” which is seen there has been relatively little written about Co‐ as having reversed the anti-Zionism of the “Pitts‐ hon.[1] The American Jewish Archives in Cincin‐ burgh Platform” of 1885. He is also of historical nati, Ohio, has an extensive collection of his pa‐ importance because of the role that he played in pers, and booksellers still stock a number of his critiquing the Union Prayer Book (UPB), which books, but most American Jews have no idea who was the prayer book in virtually every Reform he was. Even those with a serious interest in temple from the end of the nineteenth century American Jewish history or Reform Judaism are until the publication of The Gates of Prayer: The unlikely to know very much about him.
    [Show full text]
  • INTRODUCING SIDDUR LEV CHADASH Charles H Middleburgh on Behalf of John D Rayner
    33¢, INTRODUCING SIDDUR LEV CHADASH Charles H Middleburgh on behalf of John D Rayner On this momentous day in our movement’s history I stand here to perform a function that all of us would have liked John Rayner to have been able to carry out. John is recovering well from his heart surgery and we send him our sincere good wishes for a refitah sh ’lemah, a speedy return to full health and vigour. In his unavoidable absence, and based almost totally on the text he would have delivered to you all, it therefore gives me great pleasure(although the phrase has rarely seemed less adequate) to present to this conference, and to the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, the long-awaited Siddur Lev Chadash. I do so on behalf of the Editorial Committee and all who have been involved in the compilation and production of the book. It has been said that objectivity is a fine quality that each of us should develop, and I dare say that there are many who would approach the presentation of Siddur Lev Chadash with far greater objectivity than do I; my excuse then for being here, in spite of my irrcdeemably subjective approach to my present task is that I do, at least, have the advantage of - knowing the new book rather well just as a parent knows its child; r‘ if. except, of course, that this particular child is biologically unusual in that its gestation has taken several years, and that it has a plurality of COLLEG mothers and fathers, otherwise known as the Editorial Committee.
    [Show full text]
  • Roster of Religious Personnel Page 1 Compiled by Earl Pruce
    4/25/2019 Roster of Religious Personnel Page 1 Compiled by Earl Pruce Name Title Position Congregation / Organization Location Date Death Date Abelow, Peter (Dr.) Principal Beth Tfiloh Congregation High School --1989 Abramowitz, Abraham Rabbi Anshe Neisen Congregation Nov. 15, 1926 Abramowitz, Abraham Rabbi Tifereth Israel Congregation of Forest Park Forest Park Nov. 15, 1926 Abrams, Mendel L., Dr. Rabbi Beth Torah Congregation Hyattsville 1989, 1996, 1997 Abramson, Barry Ephraim Rabbi Shochet 1999- Abramson, Mordechai Rabbi Shochet 1989 Ackerman, Everett S. Rabbi Moses Montefiore Emunath Israel Woodmoor Hebrew Congregation 1978-1998? Ackerson, Mitchell S. Rabbi Chaplain Sinai Hospital 1993-- Adashek, Steven Mohel M.D. Mohel, 2004 Adler, Abraham Rabbi Anshe Sphard Congregation Feb. 17, 1920 Adler, Elan Rabbi Associate Rabbi Beth Tfiloh Congregation July 1993--Jan 2001 Adler, Elan Rabbi "Rabbi Designate" Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah, Liberty Jewish Center Jan 2001 Adler, Joseph Cantor Har Zion Congregation 1928?-1933 Adler, L. Rabbi Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Congregation Adler, Leon Rabbi Temple Emanuel Kensington 1953-1988 1988 Aftel, Jeffrey Rabbi Hebrew Day School Montgomery County 2001 Agus, Jacob B. Rabbi Beth El Congregation 1950-1980 Sept. 26, 1986 Albrecht, Avraham (Avi) Cantor Beth Tfiloh Congregation 1996- Alpern, Ian Cantor Beth Israel Congregation 1969-- Alter,Joel Rabbi Shoshana S Cardin Community H S Baltimore 2002 Altman, Solomon B. Cantor Har Zion Congregation 1934-5, 1941 Altmeyer, ? Cantor Temple Oheb Shalom 1853? Altshul, William Rabbi Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington Silver Spring 1996, 1997,2004 Amerling, Suzanne (Dr.) Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Religious School 1989, 1990 Anemer, Gedaliah Rabbi Yeshiva Boys School Silver Spring 1989 Anemer, Gedaliah Rabbi Young Israel Shomrai Emunah Congregation Silver Spring 1989-92, 1996, 1997 Ansell (Anshel), Rev.
    [Show full text]
  • WJEC Unit 3: a Study of Religion - Option C: a Study of Judaism
    WJEC Unit 3: A Study of Religion - Option C: A Study of Judaism Specification Theme 1: Religious figures and sacred texts (part 2). A) The structure and development of the Talmud and its importance within Judaism. The differences between the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds. The nature of the Mishnah: content, style and importance for study in Judaism. The nature of the Gemara: content, style and importance for study in Judaism. Guidance for Teaching: This section considers the early development of Talmud, by considering both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds and their differences. Candidates will need an understanding of what the Talmud contains in terms of Mishnah and Gemara and a brief understanding of their defining content. A list of vast content is not required, rather a focus on the character of the content, or, style of writing. Finally, an overview of the relative style and importance each has within Judaism should be understood. Useful resources Books: Cohn-Sherbok, Dan (2003) - Judaism: History, Belief and Practice, Routledge, ISBN:0415236614 De Lange, Nicholas (2009) - An Introduction to Judaism (Introduction to Religion), Cambridge University Press, ISBN:0521735041 Dosick, Wayne (1998) - Living Judaism: The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice, HarperOne, ISBN:0060621796 Robinson, George (2001) - Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs & Rituals, Atria Books, ISBN:0671034812 Satlow, (2006) Michael L. - Creating Judaism: History, Tradition, Practice, Columbia University Press, ISBN:0231134894 Digital: • https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tale-of-two-talmuds/ • http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-oral-law-talmud-and-mishna • http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/mishnah 1 WJEC Unit 3: A Study of Religion - Option C: A Study of Judaism Specification Theme 1: Religious figures and sacred texts (part 2).
    [Show full text]
  • No Haven for the Oppressed
    No Haven for the Oppressed NO HAVEN for the Oppressed United States Policy Toward Jewish Refugees, 1938-1945 by Saul S. Friedman YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY Wayne State University Press Detroit 1973 Copyright © 1973 by Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 48202. All material in this work, except as identified below, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/. Excerpts from Arthur Miller’s Incident at Vichy formerly copyrighted © 1964 to Penguin Publishing Group now copyrighted to Penguin Random House. All material not licensed under a Creative Commons license is all rights reserved. Permission must be obtained from the copyright owner to use this material. Published simultaneously in Canada by the Copp Clark Publishing Company 517 Wellington Street, West Toronto 2B, Canada. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Friedman, Saul S 1937– No haven for the oppressed. Originally presented as the author’s thesis, Ohio State University. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Refugees, Jewish. 2. Holocaust, Jewish (1939–1945) 3. United States— Emigration and immigration. 4. Jews in the United States—Political and social conditions. I. Title. D810.J4F75 1973 940.53’159 72-2271 ISBN 978-0-8143-4373-9 (paperback); 978-0-8143-4374-6 (ebook) Publication of this book was assisted by the American Council of Learned Societies under a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The publication of this volume in a freely accessible digital format has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation through their Humanities Open Book Program.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bar of Rye Township, Westchester County, New York : an Historical and Biographical Record, 1660-1918
    i Class JHlS ^ Book_t~Bii5_W_6 Edition limited to two hundred and fifty numbered copies, of which this is number .\ — The Bar of Rye Township Westchester County New York An Historical and Biographical Record 1660-1918 Arthur Russell Wilcox " There is properly no history, only biography." Emerson 8 Copyright, 191 BY ARTHUR R. WILCOX 2^ / i-o Ubc "ftnicftctbocftcr press, tKz\o aoch TO MY MOTHER THIS VOLUME IS LOVINGLY AND .VFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED — " Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser—in fees, expenses and waste of time. As a peacemaker, the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man. Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this. Who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereupon to stir up strife and put money in his pocket? A moral tone ought to be enforced in the profession which would drive such men out of it." Lincoln. Foreword This work, undertaken chiefly as a diversion, soon became a considerable task, but none the less a pleasant one. It is something which should have been done long since. The eminence of some of Rye's lawyers fully justifies it. It is far from complete. Indeed, at this late day it could not be otherwise; records have disappeared, recollections have become dim, and avenues of investigation are closed. Some names, perhaps, have been rescued from oblivion.
    [Show full text]
  • Racism ($12 Temple Members/$15 Non-Members) ​ ​
    The Fantastic Interim (1918 – 1939): Part Two – from The Rise of Japan to World War II ($48 temple members/$60 non-members) ​ ​ Mondays, January 4, 11, 18, 25 (10:30 a.m.-noon) ​ ​ Part Two will begin with the discussion of Japan’s rise to world power status and will continue with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Hitler’s rise to power. With Roosevelt came the New Deal and the role of government changed from one of doing almost nothing to one trying to do and expected to do almost everything. With the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor of Germany came the beginning of the road to war. We suffered the worst ecological disaster in our history, the Dust Bowl. And as we recovered economically, we headed to war. Part Two will discuss these events and many others that occurred during the second of these important decades in this country’s history – the Fantastic Interim. Facilitator: Rex Rehfeld has a B.S. from the University of CA and a J.D. from ​ ​ ​ ​ the University of MD. He has lectured on a variety of historical topics in many Lifelong Learning programs throughout the Baltimore area. Rex served in the Navy in WW II and in the Army during the Korean War and beyond. After leaving the service, Rex served as an investment counselor until his retirement in 2014. Click on picture below to preview: ​ Page 2 The Diaspora Journey of Judaism ($48 temple members/$60 ​ ​ non-members) Thursdays, January 7, 14, 21, 28 (10:30 a.m.-noon) ​ ​ As a Jewish community, we have moved all over the globe at various times in our history.
    [Show full text]
  • American Jewish Philanthropy and the Shaping of Holocaust Survivor Narratives in Postwar America (1945 – 1953)
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles “In a world still trembling”: American Jewish philanthropy and the shaping of Holocaust survivor narratives in postwar America (1945 – 1953) A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by Rachel Beth Deblinger 2014 © Copyright by Rachel Beth Deblinger 2014 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION “In a world still trembling”: American Jewish philanthropy and the shaping of Holocaust survivor narratives in postwar America (1945 – 1953) by Rachel Beth Deblinger Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Los Angeles, 2014 Professor David N. Myers, Chair The insistence that American Jews did not respond to the Holocaust has long defined the postwar period as one of silence and inaction. In fact, American Jewish communal organizations waged a robust response to the Holocaust that addressed the immediate needs of survivors in the aftermath of the war and collected, translated, and transmitted stories about the Holocaust and its survivors to American Jews. Fundraising materials that employed narratives about Jewish persecution under Nazism reached nearly every Jewish home in America and philanthropic programs aimed at aiding survivors in the postwar period engaged Jews across the politically, culturally, and socially diverse American Jewish landscape. This study examines the fundraising pamphlets, letters, posters, short films, campaign appeals, radio programs, pen-pal letters, and advertisements that make up the material record of this communal response to the Holocaust and, ii in so doing, examines how American Jews came to know stories about Holocaust survivors in the early postwar period. This kind of cultural history expands our understanding of how the Holocaust became part of an American Jewish discourse in the aftermath of the war by revealing that philanthropic efforts produced multiple survivor representations while defining American Jews as saviors of Jewish lives and a Jewish future.
    [Show full text]