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|
This issue of the Yiddish
socialist daily, the Forward, endorsed Roosevelt for reelection
as “Labor’s
Choice” on the cover of its November 1, 1936, rotogravure section. In
1936, Roosevelt garnered a
whopping 85 percent of the Jewish vote. |
"Roosevelt
Labor's Choice"
New York, Forward, November 1, 1936
Serial and Government Publications Division (163) |
Since their arrival in America, Jews have faced the difficulty
of maintaining a separate group identity in an open society that
embraced them as equals. Nineteenth-century efforts to unify American
Jews around a common liturgical rite failed. However apart Jews
stood, they resisted religious uniformity as much as their fellow
Christians did. Over time, the Jewish community became ever more
diverse, particularly as the Conservative and Reconstructionist
branches of Judaism emerged in the twentieth century, joining the
more established Orthodox and Reform movements, all of which subsequently
broadened still further.
The nature of American society, with its acceptance of religious
diversity, provided America's Jews with an unprecedented sense
of security and safety. The feeling of being "at home" in America
has varied from immigrant wave to immigrant wave, and even from
person to person. By 1950, most American Jews were native-born,
and a great many had participated in two world wars, experienced
the Great Depression, witnessed the Holocaust and its aftermath,
and supported the establishment of the State of Israel. In these
post-World War II years, Jews became a vital force in the political
process, demonstrated on behalf of oppressed co-religionists abroad
and civil rights at home, and played a significant role in the
cultural life of the nation. This series of transformative events--along
with a fully developed network of religious and voluntary organizations--contributed
to a shift in the Jewish perception of America from a safe "haven" to
a true "home."
In the Public Sphere
Legal impediments to Jewish participation in the political,
social, and economic life of the country largely ended once Jews
received political rights in Maryland in 1826. By then, Jews
had turned their attention in new directions, seeking to assure
their inclusion in all facets of American life and advocating
on behalf of oppressed co-religionists abroad. They participated
fully in the political life of the nation, advocated on behalf
of causes important to them as Jews, and sometimes held out the
promise of the "Jewish vote" in an effort to garner political
support. Issues that have traditionally stood at the top of the
Jewish community's political agenda include opposition to anti-Semitism,
extension of civil rights, separation of church and state, the
security of the State of Israel, and the welfare of Jews around
the world.
Myer
S. Isaacs (1841-1904) to
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).
Holograph letter, October 26, 1864.
Page 2 - Page
3 - Page 4
Abraham Lincoln Papers.
Manuscript Division (143)
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"There Is No Jewish Vote"
Secretary of the Board of Delegates of American Israelites
Myer S. Isaacs wrote to Lincoln on the eve of the presidential
election, October 26, 1864, that "the Jewish vote does not
exist." Isaacs nevertheless assures Lincoln that "the majority
of Israelite citizens must concur in the attachment for the
Union and a determination to leave no means untried to maintain
its honor."
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"As for the Isrelites [Sic]. . . They Will Vote
for You"
English born Isachar Zacharie was President Lincoln's chiropodist,
political confidante, and special emissary. Among other things,
Zacharie involved himself in helping Abraham Lincoln secure
the Jewish vote. In a letter to Lincoln on November 3, 1864,
Zacharie wrote: "I just returned to this city after a trip
of nine days through Pennsylvania and New York state, and
I am happy to inform you, that I am satisfied that I have
done much good, I now think all is Right . . . . As regards
the Isrelites [sic]--with but few Exceptions, they
will vote for you. . . . I understand them well, and have
taken the precaution--to see that they do as they have promised--I
have secured good and trustworthy men to--attend on them
on Election Day--My Men have been all the week seeing that
their masses are properly Registered--so that all will go
right on the 8th ins."
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Isachar
Zacharie (1827-1900) to Abraham Lincoln.
Holograph letter, November 3, 1864.
Page 2 - Page
3 - Page 4
Abraham Lincoln Papers.
Manuscript Division (144)
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Emil Flohri (1869-1938).
Stop Your Cruel Oppression
of the Jews, 1904.
Chromolithograph.
Ben and Beatrice Goldstein Foundation Collection.
Prints and Photographs Division (145)
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"Stop Your Cruel Oppression of the Jews!"
In this print, which appeared after a 1905 pogrom in Kishinev,
a "Russian Jew" carries on his back a large bundle labeled "Oppression;" hanging
from the bundle are weights labeled "Autocracy," "Robbery," "Cruelty," "Assassination," "Deception," and "Murder." In
the background, on the right, a Jewish community burns, while
in the upper left corner, President Theodore Roosevelt asks
the Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, "Now that you have peace
without, why not remove his burden and have peace within
your borders?"
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The Kishinev Massacre
The Kishinev Massacre of 1903, in which forty-nine Jews
were murdered and hundreds were wounded, aroused universal
condemnation and protest. For the first time, Jews in the
United States took the lead in organizing nationwide protests.
In addition to hundreds of demonstrations and meetings held
throughout the nation, a massive petition drive protesting
the slaughter was organized. Since the Russian authorities
refused to accept the petition, it was deposited instead
in the State Department's vault in a special box constructed
to house it. In his letter accepting the petition, Secretary
of State John Hay wrote: "It is a valuable addition to the
public literature and it will be sacredly cherished among
the treasures of the Department."
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"Kishineff" Petition,
1903
Wood case with bound manuscript petition
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
(146)
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Homer Davenport (1867-1912).
The Crime of the New Century, 1903.
Pen and ink drawing.
Prints and Photographs Division (148)
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The Crime of the Century
In this drawing by Homer Davenport, Lady Columbia, resplendent
in patriotic attire, rebukes Czar.Nicholas II, who averts
his eyes and appears embarrassed. Behind them is a poster
with several skulls and bones, reading "Kishenev Massacre
of 400 Jews--700 Jewish Homes Looted --Dead Left Bleeding
in the Streets. Tirospol--General Slaughter of Jews--Young
and Old Killed and Wounded."
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"The Victims in Their Agony"
The illustration in the center of this elegy depicts the
April 1903 Kishinev massacre. The elegy is in seven parts,
including "First signs of storm," "The luckless in despair," "The
bugle call of the rioters to one another," "The victims in
their agony," "The wailings of women and children," "The
devilish work in full force," and "The survivors beg for
bread."
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Herman S. Shapiro.
"Kishinev shekhita, elegie"
[Kishinev Massacre Elegy].
New York: Asna Goldberg, 1904.
Irene Heskes Collection.
Music Division (149)
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Emma
Goldman (1869-1940) to
Margaret Sanger (1879-1966).
Typescript letter, December 7, 1915.
Page 2
Margaret Sanger Papers.
Manuscript Division (150)
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Emma Goldman and "The Birth Control Question"
In this letter to Margaret Sanger, Emma Goldman consoles
Sanger on the sudden death of her five-year-old daughter
Peggy, and urges her to gather her strength and to continue
her work on the birth control question, which "has taken
hold of the public as never before." Its "hold" was especially
strong in the Lower East Side immigrant community in which
Sanger worked as a visiting nurse.
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Yiddish Plays on Birth Control
These two Yiddish plays--Birth Control or Race Suicide and A
Woman's Duty in Birth Control--were both submitted
for copyright deposit at the Library of Congress. Both
plays were written in the same year that Margaret Sanger
and others opened America's first birth-control clinic
in Brooklyn, New York. Women were alerted to the clinic's
opening through the distribution of five thousand leaflets
in English, Italian, and Yiddish. Police closed the clinic
within ten days. Birth Control or Race Suicide,
by the prolific playwright Harry Kalmanowitz, was performed
in 1916 at New York's Roof Garden Theater.
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Harry Kalmanowitz.
Geburth Kontrol, oder, Rassen
zelbstmord
[Birth Control or Race Suicide], 1916.
Playscript, cast page.
Hebraic Section (151)
|
Samuel B.
Grossman.
Di Flikhten fun a froy
in geburt kontrol
[A Woman's Duty in Birth Control: A Drama in Four Acts].
Chicago, 1916.
Copy of playscript title page.
Hebraic Section (152)
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Ben Shahn
(1898-1969).
For All These Rights We've
Just Begun to Fight,
CIO Political Action Committee, 1946.
Color lithograph poster.
Courtesy of the HUC Skirball Cultural Center Museum Collection, Los Angeles
(164)
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Ben Shahn and a Fight for Rights
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) Political
Action Committee was established in 1943 to educate and mobilize
CIO members about political issues of special concern to
labor. The Committee championed the rights of all workers
and strived to raise awareness of the importance of protecting
their rights by registering and voting. This is one of several
posters Ben Shahn designed for the CIO.
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A Woman's Place is in the House
A leading American feminist and human rights activist,
Bella Abzug (1920-1988) served in Congress from 1970 to
1976. In the years that followed, she headed the National
Advisory Committee on Women, founded Women, USA, and co-founded
the Women's Environment and Development Organization.
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This Woman's Place is
in the House
-The House of Representatives! Bella Abzug for Congress,
between 1971 and 1976
Offset lithograph poster
Yanker Poster Collection
Prints and Photographs Division (166)
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Political
memorabilia ["Jewish Vote"],
ca. 1940s-2000.
Assembled by and courtesy of the HUC Skirball Center
Cultural Museum Collection,
Los Angeles (167A)
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The Jewish Vote in Hebrew
Displayed here are a variety of campaign buttons
and stickers, each appealing to Jewish sensibilities through
the use of Judaic symbols or the Hebrew language. One button
even gives the election year according to the Jewish calendar:
5761 (a year that began in September 2000).
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Holding Public Office
Displayed here are a variety of buttons, stickers, and other
election related memorabilia offering a snapshot of Jewish
participation in the political process as members of Congress.
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Political
memorabilia related to current members of Congress
[as of opening date of this exhibit, September 9, 2004].
Page 2
Assembled by and courtesy of the HUC Skirball
Cultural Museum Collection, Los
Angeles (167)
|
War and its Aftermath
After Adolf Hitler ascended to power in 1933, American Jews undertook
various measures to protest the ever-worsening circumstances of German
Jews. They initiated a nation-wide boycott of German goods and organized
protest marches and rallies in support of beleaguered German Jewry. Although
100,000 Jews were able to enter the United States during the 1930s, millions
more were left stranded as attempts to ease America's immigration restrictions
largely failed and other potential havens for Jews barred their entry.
With the onset of the war in 1939, Hitler put his plan to annihilate European
Jewry into action. On August 28, 1942, the contents of a telegram from
Gerhardt Riegner were conveyed to Rabbi Stephen S.Wise. Riegner, an official
of the World Jewish Congress in Switzerland, outlined the Nazi intention
to exterminate Europe's Jews. Wise remained silent, at the request of
U.S. officials, pending official confirmation of the report. Some three
months later, the State Department verified what has come to be known
as the "Riegner Telegram." By this time, the Nazis had already murdered
more than two million of the six million Jews who ultimately perished
in the Holocaust.
Share
Sponsored by the Jewish Relief Campaign, this World War
I poster features a monumental female figure offering the
bounty of America--a tray laden with food--to Europe's
destitute women and children. The skyline of New York City
and the Statue of Liberty are in the background. Between
1914 and 1924, American Jews raised an unprecedented sixty-three
million dollars for relief of their suffering European
kinfolk.
|
Share:
Jewish Relief Campaign.
Brooklyn: Sackett & Wilhelms Corporation, 1917.
Color lithograph poster.
Prints and Photographs Division (154)
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Anti-Nazis
Hold Demonstration,
Madison Square Garden, New York City, March 15, 1937.
Gelatin silver print.
New York World-Telegram & Sun Newspaper Collection.
Prints and Photographs Division (158)
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Anti-Nazi Demonstration
Responding to the persecution of Jews in Hitler's Germany,
American Jewry organized a nation-wide anti-Nazi boycott
movement in 1933. Sponsored by the American Jewish Congress
and the Jewish Labor Committee, the massive rally pictured
here filled New York City's Madison Square Garden on March
15, 1937. Speakers included John L. Lewis, head of the
CIO, New York's Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, and Rabbi Stephen
S. Wise, head of the American Jewish Congress.
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"Giant Mass Meeting"
The dual-sided English-Yiddish broadside displayed here
promotes a rally supporting President Franklin Roosevelt
and his "policy of all aid to Great Britain, the Soviet
Union, and China," sponsored by the Jewish Peoples Committee,
a pro-communist organization. David Dubinsky, president
of the International Ladies Garment Union, declined to
attend this September 18, 1941, rally because he viewed
the sponsoring group as Communist controlled.
|
Giant
Mass Meeting sponsored by the Trade Union Council and
New York City Committee of the Jewish People, September
18, 1941.
Page 2
Broadside.
Hebraic Section (159)
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J. Gershon Tolochko.
"Scroll Honoring the United
Nations;
Special V-Day Services,"
Temple Oheb Sholom,
Goldsboro,
North Carolina, [1945].
Hand-colored mimeo type.
Hebraic Section (169)
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Special V-E-day Services in Goldsboro, North Carolina
Temple Oheb Sholom in Goldsboro, North Carolina, held
a special service to mark V-E Day, May 8, 1945, commemorating
the surrender of Nazi Germany the day before. The congregation's
rabbi, J. Gershon Tolochko, created a program for a special
service, which was then reproduced in scroll form. The
service began with the singing of the national anthem,
followed by the recitation of a poem of the same name by
B. Franklin Hunter. The poem's last stanza read: "And the
Star-spangled Banner/ Of peace will yet wave. / O'er the
lands cursed with war/ That we still hope to save."
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Hebrew Prayer for Roosevelt and Churchill
This hand-drawn plaque includes dual Hebrew prayers for
Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. The one for Roosevelt,
based on the traditional Jewish prayer for the government,
reads: "[May He] who gives salvation to President Roosevelt,
[He] whose kingdom is everlasting, protect, and increase,
and raise up all of the officials of America, and [may]
the King of Kings lift them up and lengthen their days
in office."
|
Hebrew
Prayers for Roosevelt and Churchill,
ca. 1942.
Plaque with hand-drawn flags with manuscript prayers.
Hebraic Section (170)
|
The Riegner Telegram
In August 1942, Geneva-based World Jewish Congress representative
Gerhart Riegner cabled his New York and London offices
to report the Nazi plan to murder with poison gas all
the Jews in occupied Europe. Riegner's alarming report
was cabled to Jewish leader Rabbi Stephen Wise by Samuel Sidney
Silverman, a member of the British Parliament. Wise,
in turn, alerted the State Department and other American
Jewish leaders. By November 24th of that year,
when the United States and Britain publicly confirmed
that mass murders of Jews were taking place, many of
Europe's Jews were already dead. In this 1943 letter,
Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles assured Rabbi Wise
that Riegner's communications would continue to be forwarded
to Wise via diplomatic pouch. |
Samuel Sidney Silverman (1895-1968) to
Stephen S. Wise (1874- 1949)
"HAVE RECEIVED THROUGH FOREIGN OFFICE
FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM RIEGNER"
Telegram, August 29, 1942
Courtesy of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of
the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati (171)
|
State
Department to Stephen Wise,
February 9, 1943.
Typescript letter signed by Sumner Welles.
Courtesy of the Jacob Rader Marcus
Center
of the American Jewish Archives,
Cincinnati (173)
|
Earl
G. Harrison (1899-1955).
Report, [on
a] Mission to Europe to Inquire into
the Condition [of] the
Displaced Persons. . . .
Washington, 1945. National Council of Jewish Women Collection.
Additional Page
Manuscript Division (174)
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The Harrison Report
Less than two months after V-E Day, President Harry
S. Truman sent Earl G. Harrison, an expert on immigration
and refugees, to investigate charges of mistreatment
of Jewish Displaced Persons (DPs) by the U.S. Army. Harrison
inspected thirty DP camps and submitted this report,
which changed America's policy towards the Jewish refugees.
Displayed here are two pages from the report. The first
page shown here outlines Harrison's mission, and the
other page, includes Harrison's succinct assessment of
the situation: "As matters stand now, we appear to be
treating the Jews as the Nazis treated them except we
do not exterminate them. They are in concentration camps
in large numbers under our military guard instead of
the S.S. troops. One is led to wonder whether the German
people, seeing this, are not supposing that we are following
or at least condoning Nazi policy."
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"A Particular Responsibility"
President Truman forwarded the Harrison Report to General
Dwight Eisenhower, instructing him to take steps immediately
to remedy the conditions of the Jewish refugees in the
American Zone of Occupation. In his letter to Eisenhower,
Truman wrote: "I know that you will agree with me that
we have a particular responsibility toward these victims
of persecution and tyranny who are in our zone. We must
make clear to the German people that we thoroughly abhor
the Nazi policies of hatred and persecution. We have
no better opportunity to demonstrate this than by the
manner in which we ourselves actually treat the survivors
in Germany."
|
President Harry
S Truman (1884-1972) to Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969).
Typescript letter (enclosed with Harrison Report),
August 31, 1945.
Page 2
Courtesy of the Truman Library,
National Archives and
Records Administration,
Independence, Missouri (175)
|
She'arit
ha-Pley'tah: An Extensive List of
Survivors of Nazi
Tyranny. .
. .
Munich: Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Bavaria, 1946.
Additional Page
Hebraic Section (177)
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"The Saved Remnant"
Chaplain Abraham Klausner helped compile this extensive
list of Holocaust survivors, which was published by the
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Bavaria under
the auspices of the U.S. Army. As noted on the volume's
title page, the list was compiled "so that the lost may
be found and the dead brought back to life."
|
"We Were Slaves to Hitler in Germany"
In 1946, under the auspices of the U.S. Army, a special
Passover seder was convened in Munich that included many
Jewish Holocaust survivors. A special, non-traditional
supplement to the haggadah was printed for the occasion,
its frontispiece announcing: "We were slaves to Hitler
in Germany. . . . " Displayed here is the cover of that
haggadah, featuring the insignia of the United States
3rd Army.
|
Musaf
le-Hagadah shel Pesah
[Passover Seder Service:
Deutsches Theatre Restaurant].
Munich: April 15-16, 1946.
Hebraic Section (178)
|
Talmud Berakhot
[The Survivors Talmud, Vol. 1].
Munich-Heidelberg: United States Army, 1948.
Hebraic Section (180)
|
"From Darkness to a Great Light"
At the request of a delegation of rabbis from the Displaced
Persons camps, a monumental nineteen-volume edition of
the complete Talmud was published in Munich-Heidelberg
in 1948--only three years after the war ended--to help
meet the religious needs of Holocaust survivors in the
American zone. It is dedicated to the "United States
Army," which provided the opportunity and the means for
its publication. Shown here is the title page of this
extraordinary work, which connects the Holocaust with
the hoped for rebirth of the Jewish people in the Land
of Israel. At the bottom of the title page is a depiction
of a Nazi slave labor camp flanked by barbed wire; above
are the palm trees and the landscape of the Holy Land.
The legend reads: "From bondage to freedom; from darkness
to a great light."
|
Zion and America
The Jewish immigrants who arrived in massive waves from Eastern
Europe beginning in the early 1880s brought with them the ideas
of "Hibbat Zion" (Love of Zion), a movement whose principal
aim was the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland.
Political Zionism gained strength in America in 1914, when
Louis D. Brandeis accepted a leadership post as chair of the
Provisional Executive Committee for General Zionist Affairs.
The persistent efforts of America's Zionist activists on behalf
of the establishment of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine
were rewarded when the U.S. voted in favor of the United Nations
1947 partition plan. A two-thirds majority vote divided Palestine
into two independent states, one Jewish and one Arab. On May
14, 1948, Israel declared its independence and minutes later
President Harry S Truman officially recognized the new Jewish
state.
Hebrew Lotto Game
This Hebrew Lotto game was produced in Warsaw at the beginning
of the twentieth century, with the emergence of political
Zionism and the effort to revive Hebrew as a language of
everyday life. Intended for children ages four to seven,
the game sought to teach them to read Hebrew through play.
The instructions suggest that a teacher using these materials
could reinforce each lesson by weaving a story or a discussion
with the words learned in the course of the game. Educational
games like this one, designed to teach as well as to amuse,
were played in American Zionist households and schools.
|
Hebrew
Lotto game.
Warsaw: ca. 1900.
Wood with paper game pieces.
Hebraic Section (181)
|
Jewish
National Fund certificate in honor of Sophie Tucker.
Printed certificate.
Courtesy of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the
American Jewish Archives,
Cincinnati (182)
|
Sophie Tucker's Certificate of Honor
Within American Jewish material culture, a special place
is reserved for Zionist keepsakes and mementos issued in
recognition of one's support for the State of Israel. Displayed
here is a "Provisional Certificate of Honor" presented
to star of stage and screen, Sophie Tucker, by the Jewish
National Fund of America, pending receipt of her permanent
certificate from Jerusalem.
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President Truman Recognizes the State of Israel
Just minutes after the State of Israel proclaimed its
independence on May 14, 1948, President Truman officially
recognized the new state. Displayed here is the president's
note recognizing the State of Israel, which includes his
handwritten revisions.
|
Harry S Truman, revised
draft of the
official recognition of the State of Israel,
May 14, 1948.
Typescript memo with holograph
signature and emendations.
Courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Library,
Independence, Missouri (183)
|
United Nations Resolution
on the Partition of Palestine.
Typescript form.
Emanuel Celler Papers.
Manuscript Division (183A)
| The Vote for Partition
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly
voted to partition Palestine into two independent states--Jewish
and Arab. Displayed here is New York Congressman Emanuel
Celler's tally sheet, which he used to keep track of the
vote; it also includes his handwritten notes quoting from
the delegates' speeches.
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"The Follies of Zionism"
In a series of published "open letters," Rabbi Jacob Voorsanger
of San Francisco set out his reasons for opposing political
Zionism. Voorsanger believed that Zionism was a mistaken
doctrine for Diaspora Jewry because Jews were fully already
integrated into their European and American surroundings.
In addition, he argued that Palestine was unsuitable as
a prospective homeland for Jews. "Look at the geographical
location of Palestine. Is it not out of the way? What waterways
does it possess, has it ever possessed, to favor the development
of commerce? . . . If these questions are asked, friend,
the follies of Zionism become at once apparent."
|
Jacob Voorsanger (1852-1908).
Zionism. Open Letters
written by Reverend Dr. Jacob Voorsanger of San Francisco,
Calif., to Honorable Simon Wolf, of Washington, D.C.,
1903-1904.
San Francisco: Lippman Printing Co., 1904.
General Collections (183B)
|
Raphael Baer Raphael.
She'elat Ha-Yehudim
[The Jewish Question].
Newark: Ephraim Deinard, 1893.
Hebraic Section (183C)
|
Choosing Zion
Published in Newark, New Jersey, in 1893, this early Zionist
treatise castigates immigrants who choose to make America
their home rather than Zion. The frontispiece illustration
shown here depicts a Jewish traveler turning his back on
a desolate Jerusalem and walking towards a prosperous America.
|
Zionism and Patriotism
A successful lawyer, Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941) became
active in the nascent American Zionist movement on the
eve of World War I. In 1914, he became chair of the Provisional
Executive Committee for General Zionist Affairs, the leader
of American Zionism. His participation served to legitimize
the movement in the eyes of American Jewry and other Americans.
He believed strongly that Zionism and American patriotism
were compatible, a view expressed in the pamphlet displayed
here. In 1916, Louis Brandeis became the Supreme Court's
first Jewish justice.
|
Harris & Ewing.
Louis D. Brandeis.
Gelatin silver print, between 1900 and 1930.
Prints and Photographs Division (242A)
|
Louis
D. Brandeis.
Zionism and Patriotism.
New York: Federation of American Zionists, 1918.
General Collections (243)
|
"I See My Future as Very Close to the Future
of Israel"
In October and November 1948--during Israel's War of Independence--Leonard
Bernstein traveled to Israel, leading concerts of the Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra in cities and towns across the land.
In a letter to his parents, expressing feelings shared
by many American Jews, he wrote: "If my present mood keeps
up I see my future as very close to the future of Israel.
I can do so much here--and it's the most important of all." The
letter closes with a report on his visit to a Yemenite
synagogue--"I went to Kol-Nidrei at a Yemenite synagogue,
[and] got the thrill of a life. The music makes Stravinsky
look pale." Also included was a brief note in Bernstein's
hand in rudimentary Hebrew reporting on his health and
itinerary.
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Leonard Bernstein
(1918-1990) to his parents
Jennie and Samuel.
Holograph
letter (sent from Tel Aviv), October 15, 1948.
Page 2
Leonard
Bernstein Collection.
Music Division (185A)
|
[Concert given with
members of the Israeli Philharmonic
for the armed forces
in Beersheba, Israel],
November 20, 1948.
Gelatin
silver print.
Leonard Bernstein Collection.
Music Division (185B)
|
[Leonard
Bernstein in rehearsal], Israel, 1948.
Gelatin silver print.
Leonard Bernstein Collection.
Music Division (185C)
|
United
Jewish Appeal.
Their Fight is Our Fight.
New York: Fodor, ca. 1940s.
Offset lithograph poster.
Courtesy of the HUC Skirball Cultural Center
Museum Collection, Los Angeles.
Museum Purchase with Project Americana
Acquisition Fund (165)
|
Their Fight Is Our Fight!
With the Statue of Liberty looming in the background,
this poster reminds American Jews of their own immigrant
roots and urges them to support the overseas needs of refugees
in Europe and Palestine.
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Exodus
Based on the 1958 novel by Leon Uris, Exodus (1960)
introduced America to the story of the State of Israel,
turning its struggle for existence into the stuff of Hollywood
legends. Its sympathetic portrayal of Israel's founding
greatly strengthened the identification of America's Jewish
community with the newly established state.
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Saul Bass (1920-1996).
Exodus, 1961.
Color offset lithograph poster.
Prints and Photographs Division (252)
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At Home in America
Influenced by the pluralism of American society that encouraged
diversity and multiple associations, the American Jewish community
rapidly became internally pluralistic, establishing multiple
religious movements, cultural affiliations, and advocacy groups
to meet individual and communal needs. This pluralism is well
reflected in the profusion of American haggadot, the home ritual
used at the Passover seder. Hundreds of American editions of
the haggadah have appeared, from traditional to innovative and
reflecting a full range of religious, cultural, and political
positions. The very first American haggadah appeared in New York
in 1837 and included the declaration that it was the "First American
Edition," implying, correctly, that many more editions would
follow. Through these haggadot one can trace the journey of America's
Jews from sojourners in a temporary haven to citizens at home
in America.
Moses
H. Henry, artist and scribe.
Mizrach Omer Calender,
Cincinnati, 1850.
Ink on paper.
Courtesy of the HUC Skirball Cultural Center Museum Collection, Los Angeles.
Gift of Mrs. Jacob Goldsmith (187)
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"If I Forget Thee O Jerusalem"
A mizrach serves as a symbolic orientation towards
Jerusalem, the direction towards which prayer is oriented.
This highly complex mizrah illustrates Moses Henry's
patriotism with the motif of the American eagle astride
a shield and bunting of the Stars and Stripes. The architectural
images also make reference to the ideals of Freemasonry,
as during the nineteenth century many Jews began to join
Masonic orders. This mizrah has a second function
as an omer calendar, as the forty-nine roundels
in the border count the seven weeks between the holidays
of Passover and Shavuot. The legend at the top reads "If
I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither" (Psalms
137:5).
|
New York's Temple Emanu-El
This prayer book, prepared for and published by Temple
Emanu-El in New York City, has the outline of the temple's
home embossed in gold on its cover.
|
The
Order of Prayer for the Divine Service
[Temple Emanu-El].
New York: 1886.
Embossed cover.
Hebraic Section (188)
|
Henry Schile, artist.
From the Rising Unto the Setting Sun
the Lord's Name is to be Praised.
New York: H. Schile, between 1870 and 1880.
Lithograph.
Prints and Photographs Division (189)
|
A Mizrah, to Direct Prayers Eastward
All Jewish prayer is oriented eastward, toward Jerusalem.
To point the direction, a mizrah is hung on the
eastern wall of the house. This one, published by H. Schile
Company, is a lithograph to which color could later be
added by hand.
|
Isaac Mayer Wise
A pioneer of Reform Judaism in America, Isaac Mayer Wise,
a prolific writer, became its acknowledged leader and its
institutional architect, organizing the Union of American
Hebrew Congregations (1873), the Hebrew Union College (1875),
and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (1889). The
reforms that he instituted sought to adapt Judaism to modernity
and to new conditions of life in a new land. This frontispiece
portrait faces the title page of Wise's The Cosmic
God, a philosophical work that had its origin in a
series of lectures delivered by Wise in the fall and winter
of 1874-1875. Minhag Amerika, which means the "American
Rite," was intended to serve as the common prayer book
for all of America's Jews. In fact, the community divided
among a range of prayer books, traditional and liberal;
none became predominant.
|
Isaac
M. Wise (1819-1900).
The Cosmic God: A Fundamental
Philosophy in Popular Lectures.
Cincinnati: Office American Israelite and Deborah, 1876.
General Collections (190)
|
Isaac
M. Wise (1819-1900).
Minhag Amerika
[The Divine Service of American Israelites
for the New Year].
Cincinnati: Bloch, 1866.
Hebraic Section (191)
|
Banquet
in honor of the Delegates to the Council of the Union
of American Hebrew Congregations,
July 11, 1883.
Printed menu with decorative border.
Courtesy of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives,
Cincinnati (192)
|
The "Trefa" Banquet
In 1883, Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, president of Cincinnati's
Hebrew Union College, invited both traditionalists and
reformers to celebrate the rabbinical seminary's first
graduating class and the tenth anniversary of the Union
of American Hebrew Congregations. To the surprise and chagrin
of the more traditional attendees, the banquet fare included
a variety of forbidden foods, horrifying some guests and
causing many to walk out. The banquet is now commonly referred
to as the "The Trefa (unkosher) Banquet," and
has come to symbolize the rift between the reformers and
the traditionalists that only grew more pronounced in the
years that followed.
|
A New York Benevolent Society
This elaborately decorated wall plaque of the "Rodef Scholem
Independent Podhaizer Sick and Benevolent Association" features
a New York State Certificate of Incorporation dated May
26, 1900. Listed on the columns flanking the certificate
are names of members. At the top of the poster is an American
eagle, which rests at the intersection of an American flag
and a fanciful flag of Zion.
|
Congregation Rodef
Scholem Wall Plaque,
with New York State Certificate of Incorporation,
May 26, 1900.
Manuscript with ink and watercolor.
Hebraic Section (193)
|
James Van Der Zee
(1886-1983).
Black Jews, Harlem, 1929,
printed ca. 1974.
Gelatin silver print.
Prints and Photographs Division (194)
|
Black Jews, Harlem, 1929
This photograph of the Moorish Zionst [sic] Temple
in Harlem, New York, was taken in 1929 by James Van Der
Zee, the acclaimed African American photographer who chronicled
the Harlem Renaissance. In this striking image, an American
flag and a flag of Zion appear next to one another, hanging
beneath a banner announcing the name of the congregation.
|
President Grant Makes a Contribution to Congregation
Adas Israel
Adas Israel was the first synagogue built in the District
of Columbia and is closely linked with the beginnings of
Jewish life in Washington. President Ulysses S. Grant
and other federal and civic officials
attended the dedication ceremony on June 9, 1876. Shown
here is an official receipt from the Adas Israel "Hebrew" Congregation
to the president acknowledging his ten-dollar contribution.
In 1969, to make way for Washington's subway, the first
Adas Israel building (which had not functioned as a synagogue
since 1907), was moved from its original location at 6th and
G Street, N.W., to 3rd and G Street, N.W., where
it currently houses the Lillian and Albert Small Jewish
Museum and the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington.
|
Receipt
for President Ulysses Grant's (1822-1885)
contribution
to Washington Synagogue Adas Israel.
Receipt, July 10, 1876.
Ulysses S. Grant Papers.
Manuscript Division (196)
|
Griffith Morgan Hopkins.
"Northwest" from A Complete Set of Survey and Plats of Properties in the
City of Washington, District of Columbia /compiled and drawn from official records
and actual surveys; published by the author and proprietor G.M. Hopkins.
Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins, ca. 1887.
Printed map with watercolor.
Geography and Map Division (197)
|
Fire Insurance Map of the District of Columbia
This map provides a detailed block-by-block, building-by-building
snapshot of Washington, D.C., in 1887. Included on such
fire insurance maps are the precise locations of structures,
including synagogues and businesses, providing a wealth
of information not available elsewhere on the physical
makeup of America's urban landscape. The "Hebrew Church" (Adas
Israel Congregation) is indicated in block 487 in the upper
left corner.
|
Moritz Goldstein
Kol Zimroh: A Hymn Book
for Temples and Sabbath Schools, and Adapted for Choirs
and Congregational Singing.
Cincinnati, Ohio: M. Goldstein, 1885.
Printed hymnal.
Music Division (201)
|
"Rehabilitating" the Music of the Synagogue
In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Jewish
activists saw a need to reinvigorate the music of the synagogue.
They argued that it had strayed too far from its roots
in Jewish tradition, incorporating elements from popular
operas and church masses. In his hymnal displayed here,
Moritz Goldstein, the reader at Cincinnati's Mound Street
Temple, sought "to select the best from the various Jewish
text-books in use in this country, and so to arrange them
that not only the choir, but also the congregation may
take part in their rendition." |
Sacred Music
Otto Lob's German-English hymnal published in Chicago,
which included simple, natural, and light rearrangements
of traditional melodies, was also part of the effort to
revitalize liturgical music. The Jewish Women's Congress,
chaired by Hannah Solomon, worked with cantors Reverend
William Sparger of New York and Reverend Alois Kaiser of
Baltimore to publish this collection of "The Principal
Melodies of the Synagogue From the Earliest Time to the
Present" as a commemorative volume available at the World's
Parliament of Religions held in conjunction with the 1893
World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
|
Songs
of Zion: Souvenir of the
Jewish Women's Congress,
1893.
National Council of Jewish Women Collection.
Manuscript Division (200A)
|
Otto Lob.
Israelitsche tempel-gesänge
[Songs for Divine Service of Israelites].
Chicago, Illinois: E. Rubovits, 1876.
Printed hymnal.
Music Division (201A)
|
Rebecca Gratz
Rebecca Gratz was a pioneering founder of Jewish benevolent
and voluntary organizations in her native Philadelphia.
In 1819, she was instrumental in creating the Female Hebrew
Benevolent Society, and, in 1838, the Hebrew Sunday School.
Written by an anonymous "American Jewess," most likely
a young instructor at the school, The Teachers' and
Parents' Assistant was intended to assist Jewish mothers
and teachers in conveying concepts on the Deity to Jewish
children. In a letter to Elizabeth Gist Blair, written
in 1861 at the outset of the Civil War, Gratz wrote: "Mr.
Leeser came here last night lamenting the departure of
many of his congregation, among the 220 young Jews who
went ... to the war .... Some of my Sunday School pupils are
among the patriots."
|
Broadbent & Co.
Rebecca Gratz,
between 1853 and 1869.
Salted paper print.
Prints and Photographs Division (202)
|
The Teachers' and Parents'
Assistant or Thirteen Lessons Conveying to Uninformed Minds
the First Ideas of God and His Attributes/by an American
Jewess.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, Printer, April 8th 5605 [1845].
Rare Book and Special Collections Division (204)
|
Rebecca Gratz (1781-1869)
to Elizabeth Gist Blair.
Manuscript letter, June 20, 1861.
Blair Family Papers.
Manuscript Division (203)
|
Leonard
Bernstein (1918-1990).
"Yigdal:
A Round for Jewish Voices."
Holograph score.
Leonard Bernstein Collection.
Music Division (201B)
|
Leonard Bernstein's "Yigdal"
In this composition for the synagogue, Leonard Bernstein
sets to music the popular liturgical hymn "Yigdal," a
poetic statement of the Maimonidean creed [thirteen principles
of the Jewish faith] that often marks the end of the evening
service. Bernstein's "Yigdal" was written for
the United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education and
included in Harry Coopersmith's anthology, U-leshonenu
rinah: The Songs We Sing (New York, 1950).
|
The Founding Resolution of the National Council of
Jewish Women
This handwritten draft resolution brought the National
Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) into existence at the conclusion
of the Jewish Women's Congress at the World Parliament
of Religions during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
in Chicago. As outlined in the resolution, the organization's
purpose was to "further the best and highest interests
of Judaism and humanity." To that end, the NCJW organized
vocational and industrial classes for immigrant children
and sponsored free libraries, employment bureaus, kindergartens,
and nurseries. With the influx of the great wave of immigrants
at the beginning of the twentieth century, the NCJW focused
its efforts on caring for incoming single girls. The Council
maintained a presence at Ellis Island and had representatives
in some 250 cities and European ports to assist the young
women when problems arose.
|
Draft
Resolution establishing the
National Council of Jewish
Women,
September 7, 1893.
Manuscript document.
Hannah G. Solomon Papers.
Manuscript Division (204A)
|
Hannah
Solomon and her daughter Helen S. Levy and granddaughter
Frances Levy Angel.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1918. P
hotographic postcard.
Hannah G. Solomon Papers.
Manuscript Division (204B)
|
Three Generations of Women Committed to Social Reform
Pictured on this postcard are Hannah Greenebaum Solomon
(seated), her daughter Helen S. Levy, and granddaughter
Frances Levy Angel. The lives of these three activists
illustrate the multigenerational component of social reform
work among women. Hannah Solomon was the founder of the
National Council of Jewish Women. Her daughter Helen Levy
was also active in the NCJW and involved in establishing
day nurseries for working mothers, promoting public education
in Chicago, and participating in the Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom. Frances Angel founded the
Charleston, West Virginia, section of the NCJW, served
on the Council's national board, and promoted remedial
reading programs and public health initiatives.
|
B'nai B'rith Membership Certificate
A member of B'nai B'rith, America's oldest and largest
Jewish fraternal order, could proudly display his membership
certificate, whose illustrations would remind all of the
Order's mission and its threefold devotion: to country--the
American eagle and shield; to faith--Abraham and Isaac,
and Moses at Sinai; to fraternal benevolence--visiting
the sick, consoling the bereaved, and caring for orphans.
|
Louis Kurz (1833-1921).
Independent Order of B'nai
B'rith.
Milwaukee: American Oleograph Co, 1876.
Lithograph certificate.
Prints and Photographs Division (205)
|
Academy of Music Purim
Association,
Fancy Dress Ball, March
15, 1881.
New York: Mayer, Merkel, & Ottman Lithograph, 1881.
Color lithograph.
Courtesy of the American Jewish Historical Society and Newton Centre, Massachusetts
(206)
|
A Masquerade Ball
New York's Purim Association in the latter half of the
nineteenth century sponsored lavish philanthropic masquerade
balls. In addition to raising considerable funds for a
variety of local communal organizations, these events were
high points on New York Jewry's social calendar. Shown
here is the announcement for the Purim Ball in support
of the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum's building fund.
|
Report of the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society
One of the oldest Jewish charitable associations in the
United States, the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum
Society prepared this special edition of its 1893 annual
report in honor of the World's Columbian Exposition. In
that year, the society reported that it sheltered almost
650 indigent children, with more than 2,500 individuals
donating funds towards their support.
|
World's
Columbian Exposition 1893 Compliments of the Hebrew
Benevolent and Orphan Asylum. Proceedings of the Seventieth
Annual Meeting of the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan
Asylum Society.
New York: Stettiner, Lambert, & Co., 1893.
Hebraic Section (207)
|
Joseph Magrill.
Golden Book of the Orthodox
Jewish Home for the Aged.
Cincinnati, 1914.
Manuscript book, painted title page.
Courtesy of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives,
Cincinnati (209)
|
"Do Not Cast Us Out in Old Age"
American flags top two columns labeled "Zion" (in Hebrew)
on this illustrated cover of the register of the Home for
the Aged, established in 1914 by "Cincinnati's Orthodox
women." On this illustrated title page, an elderly couple
walks between the columns, he with a cane, she leaning
on him for support. Above their heads is a banner with
the legend: "Do not cast us out in old age, when our strength
fails us, do not abandon us," a variant of Psalm 71, verse
9 that forms part of the Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement]
liturgy.
|
The First American Haggadah
Solomon Jackson, a native of England, who was the first
Jewish printer in New York, published the "First American
Haggadah" in 1837. The haggadah's forty-three leaves
include the original Hebrew text, as well as an English translation
by David Levi of London. Interestingly, the haggadah incorporates
both Ashkenazic and Sephardic customs, as well as the publisher's
optimistic statement displayed here that this is the "First
American Edition"--"first," with others sure to follow.
|
Service
for the Two First Nights of the Passover
in English and
Hebrew, First American Edition.
New York: Solomon Jackson, 1837.
Gift from Mr. and Mrs. Liener Temerlin.
Hebraic Section (211)
|
William
Berkson and Annie Oshinsky's Ketubah
[marriage
certificate].
January 24, 1897.
Document with seal.
Courtesy of the HUC Skirball Cultural Center
Museum Collection, Los Angeles.
Gift of Willyne Bower and Saretta Berkson Cohen (212)
|
A Ketubah from Decatur, Illinois
This ketubah celebrated the marriage of Annie Oshinsky
and William Berkson. Annie was born in New York City to parents
of Polish descent. The family later settled in Marinette,
Wisconsin. William Berkson was born in Russia. Arriving in
America, William first earned his living as a peddler, described
more genteelly in a newspaper account of the wedding as a "commercial
traveler." The ketubah, which is a printed form,
includes an engraving of an American Jewish wedding of the
period. A brief English certification of the marriage is
added to the traditional Aramaic text.
|
The First Jewish American Cookbook
Published in Philadelphia in 1871, the Jewish Cookery
Book by Mrs. Esther Levy is believed to be the earliest
Jewish cookbook published in America. Levy's intent was
to provide recipes that would satisfy the most exacting
and elegant culinary standards, while at the same time
adhering strictly to kashrut (dietary laws). The volume
is opened to a page of advertisements, including one for
Henry Greer's "Cosher" butcher shop.
|
Mrs. Esther Levy.
"Cosher Butcher" advertisement
in Jewish Cookery Book.
Philadelphia: W.S. Turner, 1871.
Katherine Bitting Collection.
Rare Book and Special Collections
Division (213)
|
Haggadah:
Passover Seder Service, Compliments of Maxwell House
Coffee, Good to the Last Drop, Kosher for Passover.
S.L., General Foods, 1939.
Hebraic Section (215)
|
Good to the Last Drop
The Maxwell House Coffee company has been distributing free
Passover haggadot to customers since the mid-1930s,
when they attempted to make coffee drinking a new Passover
tradition. More than twenty million copies of this Hebrew-English haggadah have
been distributed, making it an enduring fixture in traditional
American Jewish homes. The edition shown here was published
in 1939.
|
The Goldberg Seder
Former Supreme Court Justice and Secretary of Labor Arthur
J. Goldberg and his wife Dorothy were famous for hosting
Passover seders attended by members of Washington's political
and intellectual elite. Displayed here is a page from the
family's personal haggadah, with each host's initials next
to an assigned reading. Dorothy's note in the margin reminded
her to mention that "one of the best descriptions of the
exodus is the great Negro spiritual 'Go down Moses.'" Also
displayed here is a listing of the invitees to the 1961
Goldberg seder, the evening's menu (main course: beef bourguignon,
potato kugel, and whole hot peaches, prunes, and apricots),
and a draft invitation text. In addition to family and
friends, the 1961 list included President and Mrs. John
F. Kennedy, the Speaker of the House, two Supreme Court
justices, two senators, the president of the AFL-CIO, and
one monsignor.
|
Goldberg
Family Haggadah.
Page from photocopied booklet with emendations.
Arthur Goldberg Papers.
Manuscript Division (215A)
|
Seder
guest list, 1961.
Arthur Goldberg Papers.
Manuscript Division (215B)
|
The
Journey Continues: The Ma'yan Passover Haggadah
[Hagadat Pesah shel Ma'yan].
New York: Ma'yan, the Jewish Women's Project, 2000.
General Collections (215C)
|
A Feminist Haggadah
With the emergence of Jewish feminism in the 1970s, new
ceremonies and rituals were introduced in the synagogue
and home, including such innovations as baby-naming ceremonies,
Rosh Hodesh (new month) celebrations, and feminist Passover
seders. Displayed here is the Ma'yan Passover Haggadah, a
feminist haggadah meant to be recited at the festive meal
of Passover. It is opened to the section on "The Four Daughters," (in
contrast to "The Four Sons" of the traditional version),
in which both the questions and answers put women's issues
front and center.
|
Tempting Kosher Dishes
This cookbook was one of a series published by the Manischewitz
Company based on recipes solicited from its customers.
In Yiddish and in English, the recipes "cover every range
of cookery, from a half-dozen ways to prepare the ever
useful Matzo Knoedel to a delightful method of making Strawberry
Shortcake."
|
Ba'Tampte
Idishe Ma'cholim:
Tempting Kosher Dishes, Third Edition.
Cincinnati: B. Manischweitz Co., 1930.
Page 2
Book with chromolithograph illustrations.
General Collections (216)
|
Scouring
Powder.
Brooklyn, NY: Rokeach & Sons, 1912.
Tin can with printed label.
Courtesy of the HUC Skirball Cultural Center Museum Collection, Los Angeles.
Gift of Peachy and Mark Levy (217)
|
Scouring Powder in Red, White, and Blue
This red, white, and blue container of scouring powder,
with its Yiddish and English text and its declaration that
it is "Kosher for Passover," was specifically intended
for religiously traditional East European immigrants to
America.
|
Queen Esther Crate Label
By 1900, California orange growers were shipping ten million
boxes of oranges a year. With the large demand for oranges
and other produce, packing companies hired artists to create
memorable labels, like this one depicting biblical figure
Queen Esther. Many Jews were in the produce industry as
growers, distributors, and wholesalers.
|
Queen
Esther brand crate label.
Color printed label.
Courtesy of the HUC Skirball Cultural Center Museum Collection, Los Angeles.
Museum Purchase with funds provided by the Lee Kalsman Project Americana Acquisition
Fund (219a)
|
Let
Me Make One Thing Perfectly Clear.
Mogen David Pure Cherry Wine poster, ca. 1970s.
Courtesy of the HUC Skirball Cultural Center Museum Collection, Los Angeles.
Gift of Grace Cohen Grossman (220)
|
"Let Me Make One Thing Perfectly Clear!"
In this advertisement for Mogen David kosher wine, the "Father
of Our Country," George Washington, is pressed into service
to hawk "the best cherry wine," using the phrase, "Let
me make one thing perfectly clear," an expression most
often associated with yet another president, Richard Nixon.
|
In the Best Passover Tradition!
This poster, by Robert Gage, one of America's outstanding
poster designers, features an enormous matzo, topped with
the Hebrew phrase "Kosher for Passover," a declaration
that these matzos are fit for consumption on Passover,
a festival with many special dietary restrictions. By emphatically
stating that Goodman's Passover matzot are "in
the best Passover tradition," the poster suggests that
using this product at the seder will connect a family's
current celebration to its own unique and meaningful tradition.
|
Robert Gage.
Kosher le-Pesah [Kosher
for Passover]. In the best
Passover Tradition!
Goodman's Passover matzos square,
ca. 1963.
Color offset lithographic poster.
Prints and Photographs Division (221)
|
Howard Zieff (b. 1927)
You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love
Levy's Real Jewish Rye
New York: Levy's, 1967
Color offset lithograph poster
Prints and Photographs Division (222)
|
You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love Levy's
"You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love Levy's Rye Bread," was
an award-winning advertising campaign that introduced Jewish
ethnicity into mainstream marketing. Posters often rely
on stereotypes as visual shorthand. In this instance, by
utilizing non-Jewish stereotypes to market a "Jewish" product,
the posters addressed cultural and ethnic stereotypes while,
at the same time, undermining their relevance. The marketing
campaign was a great success, and Levy's became the largest
seller of rye bread in New York. |
King Solomon at the Thalia
Yiddish theatrical productions were especially popular among
the more than 2.5 million Jewish immigrants who arrived in
America between 1880 and 1925. This early poster heralds
a series of "star-studded" productions on biblical themes
at the Thalia Theatre, located in New York City's Bowery
district on the Lower East Side.
|
Jozef Kroger.
Thalia Theatre.
New York: Josef Kroger, 1897.
Color offset lithographic poster.
Prints and Photographs Division (68)
|
The Tailor Becomes a Storekeeper
David Pinski's musical comedy, The Tailor Becomes
a Storekeeper, was performed in Yiddish at Chicago's
Great Northern Theatre through the Federal Theatre Project
(FTP). The FTP was part of a large and ambitious effort
by the U.S. Government to provide work for unemployed
professionals in the theater in the aftermath of the
Great Depression. In addition to Yiddish, the FTP's specialized
units produced plays and performances in Italian, Spanish,
French, and German. Displayed here is a costume design
drawing from the Chicago production.
|
David
Pinski (1872-1959).
The Federal Theatre Presents "The Tailor Becomes a Storekeeper:" A Comedy by
David Pinski with Music.
Chicago: Cross & Banta, between 1936 and 1941.
Offset lithograph poster.
Federal Theatre Project Collection.
Music Division (90)
|
David
Pinski.
A Tailor Becomes a Storekeeper.
Costume design, watercolor
and pencil on paper.
Federal Theatre Project Collection.
Music Division (91)
|
This
image is not available online.
Torah
Personalities Trading Cards.
U.S.A.: Torah Personalities Inc., 1988.
Hebraic Section (225) |
Rebbe Cards
Bearing the images of great Torah sages, these cards are
popular with children in Hasidic communities and represent
a direct adaptation of the juvenile pastime of collecting
sports trading cards from an amusing and entertaining hobby
to a religious and pedagogic tool. Featured here is Rabbi
Menahem Schneerson (1902-1994), leader of the Lubavitch
Hasidic Community.
|
Jewish Major Leaguers
Pictured here are the baseball cards of Sandy Koufax,
Hank Greenberg, and Shawn Green, 3 of a new 142-card set
of Jewish Major Leaguers: American Jews in America's
Game issued by the American Jewish Historical Society,
in cooperation with Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc. The set
is an example of another popular national Jewish pastime:
inventorying Jewish celebrities.
|
This image is
not available online.
Jewish Major Leaguers
Baseball Cards.
New York: American Jewish Historical Society,
by Fleer SkyBox International LP and Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc., 2003.
Hebraic Section (226) |
This image is
not available online.
Mendy and the
Golem.
Vol. 1, no. 1, July 1981.
New York, N.Y.: Mendy Enterprises, 1981.
Serial and Government Publications Division (228) |
Mendy and the Golem
The Mendy and the Golem comic
book series features the story of a Hasidic child, Mendy
Klein, and his protector, a golem named Sholem.
In Jewish lore, a golem is an artificially created
being that is endowed with supernatural powers. In the
words of its creators, "Mendy and the Golem is
a comic book with a difference. And the difference is that
it's not only designed to entertain your children, but
to educate them." Each of the early issues emphasized a
particular mitzvah [commandment]; the premiere
issue of the series focused on the commandment of hospitality
to guests.
|
The Cat in the Hat in Yiddish
The text of this classic children's book was translated
into Yiddish by Sholem Berger and was "sponsored in part
by Yugntruf, an organization of young people of every ideology
and background dedicated to Yiddish as a living language."
|
This image is
not available online.
Dr. Seuss [Theodor
Seuss Geisel] (1904-1991).
Di Kats der Payats [The Cat in the Hat].
New York: Twenty-Fourth Street Books, LLC, translated by Sholem Berger, 2003
(in Yiddish and English).
Hebraic Section (229) |
This image is
not available online.
Heeb: The New
Jew Review.
No. 2, summer 2002.
Brooklyn, New York.: Heeb Magazine Inc., 2002.
Hebraic Section (253A) |
Heeb: the New Jew Review
The first issue of Heeb, which appeared in 2002,
turned an ugly epithet on its head, transforming it for
the magazine's intended audience into a term of pride and
identity. Displayed here is the second issue, featuring
a photographic essay on Jewish Bubbes (grandmothers), "the
divas of South Florida," as the publication defines them.
|
|