Bible To War and Immigration

1. HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION
OF AMERICAN JEWS TO
THE UNITED STATES
THE JEWISH CONTRIBUTION
TO OUR HISTORY

2. JEWS SETTLE THROUGHOUT
THE COLONIES
• Made contributions- To Colonial Americas
diversity
• Settled- In all three regions of the Colonies
• New England
• Middle
• Southern
• Colonies- more tolerant of Jewish People
• Then most European Countries

3. COLONIAL ERA
• Dutch Jews-Dutch Jews- were early settlers ofwere early settlers of
• NewportNewport
• SavannahSavannah
• CharlestonCharleston
• PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia
• BaltimoreBaltimore
• 1000 Jews-1000 Jews- to Population of 2.5to Population of 2.5
MillionMillion

4. IMPORTANT FACTS DURING
THIS PERIOD
• First Jewish
Community-Established
in New Amsterdam in
1654
• Legal status of Jews-
varied between colonies
there were often laws of
discrimination
• Maryland Toleration
Act of 1649- did not
include Jews
• Rhode Island- was a
colony that welcomed
Jews

5. NOTABLE JEWISH AMERICANS
DURING COLONIAL PERIOD
• Francis Salvador- First
Jew elected to government
office General Assembly of
South Carolina
• Jonas Phillips- Strong
supporter of Patriot cause
and a blockade runner.
Refuses to testify in
Philadelphia court on the
Sabbath due to religious
objections.
• Haym Solomon- Key
figure in in financing patriot
cause during the
Revolution. Later was
instrumental in saving the
new Nation from collapse
Haym Solomon

6. REVOLUTIONARY WAR
• In 1776- there were 2000 Jews
in America
• Mostly- Spanish and
Portuguese
• Played significant role-
fighting against the British
• Important role- in financing
Revolution
• President Washington -
remembers Jewish
contribution during the war in
writing to the Sephardic
Congregation of Newport
Rhode Island

7. JEWS IN 19TH
CENTURY
AMERICA
• Jewish Communities-
begin to organize
• Jewish orphanage- set up
in Charleston 1801
• Charleston- encompasses
wealthiest community of
Jews in North America until
1830
• First Jewish School-in New
York 1806
• First Jewish Secular
organization- B’nai B’rith
established 1843
B’nai B’rith

8. 19th
CENTURY STATISTICS
ABOUT AMERICAN JEWS
• 1840- 15,000 Jews out of 17 Million Americans
• 1848- Jewish population grows to 50,000
• Increased Negative stereotyping- due to
increased population
• 1840’s-1850’s- Jews from Germany begin to
arrive in large numbers- Ashkenazi Jews
• Formation of – Conservative and Reform
Judaism

9. CIVILWAR
• 3000 Jews fought for
Confederate Side
• 7000 Jews fought on
Union Side
• Jews- had leadership
positions on both sides
• 9 Jewish Generals
• 21 Jewish Colonels
• President Lincoln-
proposed legislation to
allow Jews to serve as
military chaplains
• General Grant- issued
order #11 expelling Jews
from Kentucky, Mississippi
and Tennessee

10. CIVIL WAR CONTINUED
• Tensions- over race and
immigration
• Economic competition-
between Jews and Non
Jews
• Worst Outbreak- Of anti-
Semitism to date
• Jews Denounced- As
disloyal war profiteers
• Accused of- Driving
Christians out of business,
aiding and abetting enemy

11. NOTABLE JEWISH AMERICANS
IN 19TH
CENTURY
• Judah P. Benjamin-
Secretary of State and
acting Secretary of War
• Lewis Charles Levin-
First Jewish member of
the House of
Representatives
• David Levy Yulee- First
Jewish member of the
United States Senate
• Joseph Seligman-
German Jewish
immigrant who opened
importing house and
later banking firm
David Levy Yulee

12. NOTABLE JEWS IN 19TH
CENTURY CONTINUED
Levi Strauss- German
Jewish immigrant who
founded the first
company to manufacture
blue jeans after moving
to San Francisco and
opening dry goods store
during the Gold Rush

13. IMMIGRATION OF EASTERN
EUROPEON JEWS 1880-1925
• 1871-1880- 4100 Jews arrive annually from
Eastern Europe
• 1881-1890- 20,700 Jews arrive annually from
Eastern Europe
• Cause of increased immigration- Escape
Pogroms- anti Jewish uprising in Russia
• 1924- 2 Million Jews have arrived from Eastern
Europe
• National Origins Quota of 1924- Severely
restricts immigration from Eastern Europe

14. AMERICANIZATION OF INFLUX
OF JEWISH IMMIGRANTS
• Conservative Jewish
Theological Seminary of
America- Created modified
form of Zionism
• Believed- Jews could live in
Jewish and American Worlds
• National Council of Jewish
Women- founded in Chicago in
1893- Founded by
Philanthropists – aided in
Americanization of Jewish
female immigrants- aided
female immigrants from arrival
on Ellis Island to final
destination

15. JEWISH PHILANTHROPISTS
• Responded- To plight of Jewish women
and girls from Eastern Europe
• Donations- Aided women and girls to
obtain housing- health care- employment-
Socialization – English Classes
Donations- Made from wealthy Jews to
the poorer Jews- Aided in
Americanization- Helped to bridge cultural
gap- tried to fight immigration restriction

16. NOTABLE JEWISH AMERICANS
OF EARLY 20TH
CENTURY
• Jacob Schiff- Wealthy German
Jew who's generosity aided new
immigrants from Eastern Europe.
• Samuel Gompers- Major figure
in American labor history-
founded the American
Federation of Labor ( AFL)
• David Dubinsky- Founding
member of the Committee of
Industrial organizations-
President of the International
Ladies Garment Workers Union
(ILGWU)
• Saul Alinsky- Considered to be
the father of community
organizing- influential in
grassroots political organizing
David Dubinsky

17. NOTABLE FACTS ABOUT THIS
PERIOD
• Organizations founded to combat
anti-Semitism- Anti-Defamation
League- American Jewish
Committee- American Jewish
Congress
• First Jewish Governor elected-
Moses Alexander serves as
Governor of Idaho 1915-1919
• First Jew appointed to U.S.
Supreme Court- Louis Brandeis
appointed by President Woodrow
Wilson in 1916
• First Jewish women to serve in
U.S. Congress- Florence Kahn
serves from 1925-1937
representing California 5th
women to
serve in Congress
Florence Kahn

18. WORLD WAR I
• American Jews- Raise 63
Million Dollars in War relief
Funds
• 250 Thousand- American
Jews fought in World War I
• 40 Thousand- American
Jews signed up as
volunteers
• 3500- American Jews killed
in action during the war
• Jewish Welfare Board-
Centers established to aide
Jewish serviceman at
home and abroad

19. Contribution of Jews to early 20th
Century Pop Culture
• Jews- Have a major role
in the rise of the motion
picture industry
• Jewish Entertainers- In
many cases change
their names to attract a
larger audience
• Jazz Singer- First movie
with sound- story of a
Jewish Cantor who
becomes a popular
singer

20. EARLY 20TH
CENTURY JEWISH
ENTERTAINMENT LEADERS
• Harry Houdini- Born in
Hungary as Erik Weisz- One
of the greatest magicians of
all time
• Al Jolson- Born in Lithuania
as Asa Youelson- Played the
leading role in the Jazz
Singer- first film with sound
• Samuel Goldwyn- One of
the founding fathers of the
movie industry- A founding
member of Paramount and
MGM
• The Warner Brothers- Four
Jewish brothers who were
immigrants of Poland and
founders of Warner Brothers
Studios

21. EARLY 20TH
CENTURY JEWISH
ENTERTAINMENT LEADERS
• Irving Berlin- Born Israel
Isidore Beilin- was one of
the most influential
songwriters in the history
of the United States-
Composed lyrics and
music to thousands of
songs
• George Gershwin- Born
Jacob Gershowitz- Piano
player and important
American composer-
Several of his songs now
jazz standards
George Gershwin

22. THE GREAT DEPRESSION- PRE
WORLD WAR II
• Jewish immigrants- suffer grave
economic conditions- high unemployment-
social frustration- disillusionment
• Anti-Semitism- Rises in the 1930’s
increases as the decade ends- continues
into the early 1940’s

23. THE HOLOCAUST
• United States – Tight
immigration Policies not
lifted
• Holocaust- Largely
ignored by American
Media
• Rescue- of European
Jewish population not a
priority in the United
States
• American- Jewish
community deeply divided
on opinion of events in
Europe