american jewish historical society

American Jewish Historical Society

Fall 2005 $2.50

PRESIDENTIAL DINNER

'CRADLED IN JUDEA' EXHIBITION

CHANUKAH AMERICAN STYLE

BOSTON OPENS 350TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT

FROM THE ARCHIVES: NEW YORK SECTION, NCJW

NEW JEWISH BASEBALL DISCOVERIES

PRESIDENTIAL DINNER

'CRADLED IN JUDEA' EXHIBITION

CHANUKAH AMERICAN STYLE

BOSTON OPENS 350TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT

FROM THE ARCHIVES: NEW YORK SECTION, NCJW

NEW JEWISH BASEBALL DISCOVERIES

TO OUR DONORS

$100,000+RUTH & SIDNEY LAPIDUSSANDRA C. & KENNETH D.

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STEINBERG CHARITABLE TRUST

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FOUNDATIONHERBERT & JOAN B. SCHILDERUJA FEDERATION OF NEW YORKJOAN AND SANDY WEILLGENEVIEVE & JUSTIN WYNER$25,000+ ANNE E. & KENNETH J. BIALKINGEORGE S. BLUMENTHALCOMBINED JEWISH

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GARY MOTOIKEMYRA MUSICANTLISA OLEINICK

JACK OLSHANSKYKATHE OPPENHEIMERJOAN & STEVE ORNSTEINREYNOLD PARISMITCHELL PEARLMICHAEL PERETZHAROLD PERLMUTTERPHILLIP ZINMAN FOUNDATIONEVY PICKERBETSY & KEN PLEVANJACK PREISSELLIOTT PRESSJAMES N. PRITZKEREDWARD H RABINARTHUR RADACKNANCY GALE RAPHAELLAUREN RAPPORTJULIE RATNERALAN REDNERBEATRICE RESHESSTEPHEN ROBERTSDANIEL S ROHERHARRY ROSENMATTHEW ROSENCHARLES ROSENBOUMROSENBERG FAMILY FOUNDATIONRICARDO ROSENKRANZIRWIN ROSENMANDANIEL E. ROTHENBERGMELVIN RUBINMR&MRS JULIUS RUBINMICHAEL RUKINKENNETH S. SACHSMICHAEL SALZHAUERDAVID SANDERSMR BERNARD SAPIROIVAN SCHAFFERISAAC SCHAVERMARK SCHEPPSLES SCHMEIDERLYNN SCHNEIDERLINDA SCHOENHEIMERLOUIS SCHONFELDROBERT SCHOTTENSTEINBETH ANN SEGALTHEODORE SEGALCLIFF SELTZERMERRYL SHAPIROHENRY SHIELDSBERNARD & IRENE SIEGELANDREW SILVERMATTHEW SILVERBARRY SILVERBERGHARVEY SIMPSONMELVIN SIRNERGAY SKOBACHAROLD M. SMITHMRYON SOKALPAUL SOLOMONLAWRENCE STARRJACKIE STEINBERGJAY STEINBERGFRANK STERNWALTER STERN ARTHUR STERNBERGDEBORAH SUDENFIELDELLITE A. TELZERMARCIA TILCHINMARJORY A. TOLUBMORRIS TREISTMANHELENE TUCHMANDR. & MRS. ALAN ULLMANWARBURG PINCUS FOUNDATIONGARY WARRENBERT W. WASSERMANAPRIL WEINERVICTORIA WEINGLASELLIOTT WEINSTEINHAROLD WEINSTEINSTEVEN WEINSTOCKMARK WEISSLERALAN WEISSMANELAINE WINOGRADJAMES WOLFPAUL WOLFFMICHAEL YEGIDISSUSAN S. YOUDOVINMARK ZAIDALAN ZELMAN

The American Jewish Historical Society gratefully

acknowledges the generosity of our members and

donors. Our mission to collect, preserve and disseminate

the record of the American Jewish experience would

be impossible without your commitment and support.

THE LIST REPRESENTS DONATIONS MADE BETWEEN APRIL 15, 2004 AND SEPTEMBER 15, 2005.

IF YOU ARE AWARE OF ANY OMISSIONS OR ERRORS PLEASE CONTACT THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AT (212) 294-6164.

Dear Friends,

We have just completed one of the most exciting seasons in the Historical Society’sproud history. In September, we co-hosted the National Dinner marking the close ofthe three hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Jewish settlement in America. In thisissue of Heritage, we have printed some of the Dinner’s proceedings, featuringPresident George W. Bush’s address to the American Jewish community. Also inSeptember, we closed our monumental exhibition in New York on the AmericanJewish experience from 1654 to the present and opened a second such exhibition inBoston. And, we presented Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York, with our distin-guished Emma Lazarus Statue of Liberty Award. Then, like you, we took some timeto look back during the holidays and reflect on the year . Now, recharged, we lookforward to Chanukah and the calendar year ahead.

2006 will be an ambitious year for AJHS. This month, we are producing oursecond set of cards memorializing American Jews who have played major leaguebaseball, as well as some Jewish baseball pioneers such as broadcaster Mel Allenand female stars. We’ve also discovered some players who are Jewish who werenot included in the original set, such as Hall of Fame player-manager LouBoudreau.

In January 2006, we will close the Boston exhibition and open ‘Cradled inJudea’: Jewish Orphanages in New York City, 1860 – 1960, at the Center forJewish History in New York. We will continue our series of lectures and pro-grams; continue to serve scholars by making archival collections and books avail-able to them; expand our websites; answer thousands of reference questions forstudents and adults; publish our scholarly journal; support our prestigiousAcademic Council; and continue to publish books and this magazine.

Our mission is to assure that America does not take the contributions of itsJewish citizens for granted and that we, and especially our children and grand-children, can know about and appreciate the efforts and the excellence of thoseJews who came before us.

Let me take this opportunity to thank those of you who have provided thefinancial support to allow the Society to perform its good work. If you are not yeta supporter, please become one today.

Sincerely,

Sidney Lapidus

Fall 2005 1

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

IN THIS ISSUE

2 Cradled in Judea

4 The Angel of Ellis Island

5 From Our Archives

6 Presidential Dinner

16 Chanukah American Style

20 Boston Opens 350thAnniversary Exhibit

22 Jewish Baseball Discoveries

29 Calendar of Events

These Jewish children – referredto by historian Hyman Bogen as “theluckiest orphans” – received substan-tial nutrition, secure housing, sturdyclothing, discipline, health care, publicschool education, athletic opportuni-ties, preparation for adult life skillsand training in Judaism. What theyalmost never got was the warmth andindividual attention that comes to chil-dren in a family home. Nor did they getexposure to any form of Judaism otherthan Reform. Despite these limitationsand the disadvantages of poverty fromwhich they started, many of theorphanage graduates went on to highlyproductive careers and started stablefamilies of their own.

The nineteenth-century philan-thropists, educators, rabbis and childcare workers who established andmaintained these Jewish orphanages

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AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

“Cradled in Judea”:

KINDERGARTEN AT THE HOA, C. 1920, HYMAN BOGEN PAPERS, AJHS

Jewish

Orphanages

in New York,

1860 – 1960

AAre you a “graduate” of a Hebrew orphan asylum Jewish orphanage in

New York or the descendant of someone who was? Do you know any-

one whose life includes that experience? If so, you won’t want to miss

the Society’s next exhibition. If not, read on anyway – the story of

American Jewish orphanages is little known and highly interesting.

Continuing to make its archives come alive, in January 2006 the AJHS will openan exhibition on a forgotten aspect of American Jewish philanthropy: theorphanages that served the needs of dependent Jewish children for more than acentury. Today, these facilities – and Jewish family and children’s services ingeneral – are available to individuals of every faith and ethnicity. However,before the 1950s, Jewish orphanages served a range of needy Jewish children. Inaddition to parentless orphans, they provided group homes for children whoseparents were too sick or too poor to care for them. On numerous occasions,impoverished parents brought their children to these orphanages, hoping thattheir offspring would get a better start in life than they could afford to provide.

were moved by complex ideals. Whenthe first Jewish orphanages were cre-ated in the 1860s, government agenciesrarely provided social services, soJewish philanthropies had to meet theneeds of their most vulnerable mem-bers or risk losing them to the streetsor to Christian missionaries. Startingin the 1880s, the massive influx ofYiddish-speaking immigrants into theUnited States had the effect of disrupt-ing many families. The German-Jewishleadership elites of New York City triedtheir best to create “ideal homes” forthe children of their less fortunate co-religionists – in their phrase, to cradlethem in Judea. However, until 1903they discouraged orphanage residentsfrom speaking Yiddish and it was notuntil 1914 that kosher food was madewidely available in the orphanages.

The American Jewish HistoricalSociety is privileged to care for thearchives of several Jewish orphanages,including the Brooklyn Hebrew OrphanAsylum, Home for Hebrew Infants,Hebrew Orphan Asylum, HebrewSheltering Guardian Society of NewYork, Hebrew Infant Asylum of NewYork City, Hebrew National OrphanHome, Hartman Homecrest Records,the Pride of Judea, the records of theSeligman Solomon Society and thepapers of Hyman Bogen. The exhibi-tion, curated by the Society’s archivalstaff, draws from these collections.

The exhibition runs until June2006. To arrange for a group visit tothe exhibition, please contact CathyKrugman at [email protected] orat 212 294-6164. HSaJ

Fall 2005 3

HOA BAND MEMBER, C. 1915, HYMAN BOGEN PAPERS, AJHS

O F F I C E R S

SIDNEY LAPIDUSPresident

KENNETH J. BIALKINChairman

IRA A. LIPMAN LESLIE POLLACKJUSTIN L. WYNER

Vice Presidents

SHELDON S. COHENSecretary and Counsel

DAVID P. SOLOMONTreasurer and Executive Director

LOUISE P. ROSENFELDAssistant Treasurer

PROF. DEBORAH DASH MOOREChair, Academic Council

MICHAEL FELDBERG, Ph.D. Director of Research/Editor of Heritage

CATHY KRUGMAN Director of Development

LYN SLOME Director of Library and Archives

HERBERT KLEIN Director of Marketing/Publisher of Heritage

BERNARD WAXDirector Emeritus

B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S

M. BERNARD AIDINOFF KENNETH J. BIALKIN

GEORGE BLUMENTHAL NICK BUNZL

SHELDON S. COHEN RONALD C. CURHAN

ALAN M. EDELSTEIN RUTH B. FEIN

GEORGE M. GARFUNKEL DAVID M. GORDIS

ROBERT D. GRIES DAVID HERSHBERG

MICHAEL JESSELSON ARNOLD H. KAPLAN

DANIEL KAPLAN SAMUEL R. KARETSKY

HARVEY M. KRUEGER SIDNEY LAPIDUS

PHILIP LAX IRA A. LIPMAN

NORMAN LISS KENNETH D. MALAMED

DEBORAH DASH MOORE EDGAR J. NATHAN, III

ARTHUR S. OBERMAYER JEFFREY S. OPPENHEIM, MD

STEVEN OPPENHEIM NANCY T. POLEVOY

LESLIE M. POLLACK ARNOLD J. RABINOR

HAROLD S. ROSENBLUTH LOUISE P. ROSENFELD

BRUCE SLOVIN DAVID SOLOMON

JOSEPH S. STEINBERG MORTON STEINBERG

RONALD S. TAUBER SAUL VIENER

SUE R. WARBURG EFREM WEINREB

NORBERT WEISSBERG JUSTIN L. WYNER

ROBERTA YAGERMAN LAURENCE ZUCKERMAN

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Although only 20, Greenstone was wellqualified. At age thirteen, Celia’s fatherleft her in charge of the family cigarettefactory in Bialystock, Russian Poland,while he traveled on business. In hisabsence, Greenstone dealt with suppli-ers, customers and corrupt state offi-cials. The idealistic Greenstone avidlyread Karl Marx, joined a utopian social-ist-Zionist movement and even union-ized her father’s cigarette factory work-ers. She marched in socialist demon-strations that the czarist police brutallysuppressed. In 1905, the family businessfailed and pogroms swept Bialystock, sothe Greenstones emigrated to New York.

On arrival, Celia Greenstone spenthours each day at the Astor Librarydevouring books in English, Hebrew,German, Russian and Yiddish, The headof the library’s Hebrew Departmentasked Greenstone to serve as his volun-teer assistant. After a few months,Greenstone asked for money to defraythe cost of her lunch and travel and thelibrarian berated her for ingratitude.Greenstone protested to the head librar-ian, who promised her paid employ-ment. A few months later, he referredGreenstone to become a translator forJacob Schiff, the famous banker and

philanthropist. Impressed withGreenstone’s facility with languages,Schiff’s wife commended her to the NewYork Section of NCJW, which hiredGreenstone to assist at Ellis Island.

Greenstone worked six long days aweek for months on end, ushering sin-gle women, mothers and childrenthrough the Ellis Island process.Greenstone was moved by the thosewomen who, rejected by the healthinspectors, were scheduled for deporta-tion back to the poverty and pogromsof eastern Europe. Greenstone inter-vened on behalf of several frightenedyoung girls who the inspectors labeledas “retarded” when unable to answerquestions posed to them in English. Shehelped girls traveling alone to locatetheir families in other parts of thecountry, or to obtain work andrespectable lodgings. Greenstone tend-ed to women detained on the islandwhile overcoming temporary healthproblems, or awaiting deportation, andarranged for kosher food to be deliv-ered to inmates of the island hospital.She also established Shabbat and holi-day services.

In 1912, NCJW promotedGreenstone to head agent on Ellis

Island. Her responsibilities includedconducting weekly follow-up meetingsat the Educational Alliance inManhattan with women she had helpedthrough Ellis Island to assure that theywere learning English, receiving sup-port and searching for work.Greenstone visited the Jewish inmatesof the Bedford Reformatory for Girls.In 1914, the Hebrew Immigrant AidSociety asked Greenstone to travel toRiga, in Russian Latvia, to inspect anew facility to house Jewish emigrantsawaiting passage to America.

World War I dramatically cut intoEuropean immigration to America.Whereas 878,000 immigrants landed atEllis Island in 1914, only 28,000 arrivedin 1918. The need for Greenstone’sservices at Ellis Island had come to anend by 1916.

In 1962, looking back on her yearshelping Ellis Island’s Jewish immigrants,Greenstone explained that she hoped “toshow the immigrants that in all the hardsorrows of their lives, they did not standalone, and that they did not have to suc-cumb. [I wanted] to show them that ifone person misused or betrayed them,another would not.” HSaJ

The Angel of Ellis IslandIn 1907, the New York Section of the National Council of Jewish

Women (NCJW) hired Celia Greenstone as assistant immigrant arrival

agent at Ellis Island. The New York Section of NCJW worried that

thousands of single Jewish women might be “misled into immoral

lives, and other girls [will be] subjected to great dangers because of

the lack of some directing and protecting agency at Ellis Island.” The

New York Section appointed pioneer social worker Bessie Meirowitz as

their first Ellis Island agent. When her work load became excessive,

Greenstone became her assistant. CELIA GREENSTONE, AJHS

Fall 2005 5

At first, the New York Section focused onhelping newly arrived immigrants at EllisIsland and opening community settlementhouses for Jews and non-Jews in neigh-borhoods like the Lower East Side. Overtime, the Section moved into new areas of

concern, providing day-care and establish-ing day camps, opening a center for sen-iors, assisting delinquents on parole, visit-ing the sick, and educating the disabled.

Today’s New York Section continuesto help women, children and families ofall ethnic and religious backgroundsthrough programs on early childhoodeducation, pregnancy loss counselingand the Jewish Women’s ResourceCenter. The New York Section supportsreproductive rights for women, familyand work needs, rights for the hungryand homeless and protection for Israel.

Recently, the New York Sectiondonated its records from 1895 to 2004 to

the American Jewish Historical Society,including administrative and financialrecords, correspondence, photographs,publications, and scrapbooks reflectingthe religious, social and advocacy servic-es of the New York Section and itsNational Office.

Processed with the generous supportof the New York Section, the collection isopen to researchers in the Reading Roomof the Center for Jewish History in NewYork. Please contact Lyn Slome, Directorof Library and Archives, [email protected] if you wish to con-duct research in the collection. HSaJ

FROM OUR ARCHIVESNATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN, NEW YORK SECTION

In 1893, Hannah G. Solomon founded the first encompassing

American Jewish women’s organization, the National Council of Jewish

Women. As the story of Celia Greenstone on page 4 indicates, from

the very first the New York Section of NCJW was the key chapter of

NCJW, perhaps because in the 1890s New York City had by far the

nation’s largest population of vulnerable Jews.

AJHS ARCHIVES

AJHS ARCHIVES AJHS ARCHIVES

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The year-long celebration of the

three hundred and fiftieth

anniversary of Jewish settlement

in North America came to a

rousing conclusion at a National

Dinner in Washington, DC jointly

sponsored by the American

Jewish Historical Society, the

Jacob Rader Marcus Center of

the American Jewish Archives

and Celebrate 350, an umbrella

organization that coordinated the

anniversary year activities of

Jewish organizations across the

United States.

350th350th Anniversary Draws to a Close at Presidential Dinner

The audience of more than 1000 at the recentlyrestored National Building Museum heard anaddress by President George W. Bush, who fol-lowed the tradition established by former pres-idents Theodore Roosevelt and GroverCleveland, who offered congratulations toAmerican Jewry at the two hundred and fifti-eth anniversary dinner in 1905, and Dwight D.Eisenhower, who spoke at the tercentenary din-ner in 1954. On behalf of the American people,Mr. Bush accepted the official commemorativegold medal minted for the celebration. RobertRifkind, co-chair of the Dinner, announced thatthe organizers were donating $50,000 of thedinner proceeds to Hurricane Katrina relief.

The audience included Jewish cadetsfrom West Point and Jewish midshipmenfrom the United States Naval Academy;ambassadors, consuls and officials from 25nations; members of the United StatesCongress and other public officials; and lead-ers of virtually every major American Jewishorganization. The Naval Academy Women’sChorus and composer Marvin Hamlisch pro-vided the evening’s musical entertainment.

A centerpiece of the evening was thepresentation of the AJHS’s Emma LazarusStatue of Liberty Award to former New Yorkmayor Ed Koch. For a related story on theaward, please turn to page 13.

Fall 2005 7

INTRODUCTION OF PRESIDENTGEORGE W. BUSHROBERT S. RIFKINDCHAIR OF CELEBRATE 350:We who discovered our spiritual destinyin our exodus from slavery to freedomtake this occasion to reconnect our-selves, Mr. President, to the values offreedom, of equal justice under law, ofreligious liberty and respect for humandiversity that have enabled us to flourishin America.

Tonight you continue, Mr.President, a tradition that PresidentTheodore Roosevelt started in address-ing our community on the two hundredand fiftieth anniversary a century agoand President Eisenhower continued atthe Tercentenary in 1954. With greatrespect, therefore, I have the privilegeof presenting you two things – first thethree hundred and fiftieth anniversarycommemorative gold medal and, sec-ondly, this audience, which representsan American Jewish community grownfrom 23 refugees to many millions ofproductive citizens, all committed tosustaining a thriving democracy.

Thank you, Mr. President. ¬

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSHI am honored to accept this medal com-memorating three and a half centuriesof Jewish life in America. I consider it ahigh honor to have been invited to cele-brate with you.

Back in 1790, the Jewish congrega-tion of Newport, Rhode Island, wroteto congratulate George Washington onhis election as the country’s firstPresident. In his reply, PresidentWashington thanked the congregationand pledged to defend vigorously theprinciple of religious liberty for all. Hesaid, the United States “gives to big-otry no sanction; to persecution noassistance,” and he expressed his hopethat the “stock of Abraham” wouldthrive in America.

In the centuries that followed, thestock of Abraham has thrived here likenowhere else. We are a better andstronger and freer nation because somany Jews from countries all over theworld have chosen to becomeAmerican citizens. …

The story of the Jewish people inAmerica is a story of America itself. ThePilgrims considered this nation a newIsrael, a refuge from persecution inEurope. Early Americans named many oftheir cities after places in HebrewScripture: Bethel and New Canaan,Shiloh and Salem. And when the firstJews arrived here, the children of Israelsaw America as the land of promise, agolden land where they could practicetheir faith in freedom and live in liberty.

When the first Jewish settlerscame to our shores 350 years ago, theywere not immediately welcomed. Yet,from the onset, the Jews who arrivedhere demonstrated a deep commitmentto their new land. An immigrantnamed Asser Levy volunteered toserve in the New Amsterdam CitizensGuard, which, unfortunately, had a poli-cy of refusing to admit Jews. That did-n’t bother Levy. He was determined,like many others who have followedhim, to break down the barriers of dis-crimination. Within two years, he tookhis rightful spot alongside his fellowcitizens in the Guard. He was the firstof many Jewish Americans who haveproudly worn the uniform of theUnited States. …

Jewish Americans have madecountless contributions to our land.The prophet, Jeremiah, once called outto his nation, “Seek the welfare of thecity where I have sent you into exile,and pray to the Lord on its behalf.” For350 years, American Jews have heededthese words, and you’ve prayed andworked for peace and freedom inAmerica. Freedom to worship is whyJews came to America three-and-a-halfcenturies ago; it’s why the Jews settledin Israel over five decades ago.

Our two nations [Israel andAmerica] have a great deal in common.We were both founded by immigrantsescaping religious persecution in otherlands. We both have built vibrantdemocracies. Both our countries are

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founded on certain basic beliefs: thatthere is an Almighty God who watchesover the affairs of men and valuesevery life. These ties have made us nat-ural allies, and these ties will never bebroken.

Earlier today, I met in New Yorkwith Prime Minister Sharon. … Onceagain, I expressed this nation’s com-mitment to defending the security andwell-being of Israel. I also assured himthat I will not waver when it comes tospreading freedom around the world. Iunderstand this, that freedom is notAmerica’s gift to the world; freedom isan Almighty God’s gift to each man andwoman and child in this world.Religious freedom is a foundation offundamental human and civil rights.And when the United States promotesreligious freedom, it is promoting thespread of democracy. And when wepromote the spread of democracy, weare promoting the cause of peace.

Religious freedom is more than thefreedom to practice one’s faith. It isalso the obligation to respect the faithof others. So to stand for religious free-dom, we must expose and confront theancient hatred of anti-Semitism, wher-ever it is found. When we find anti-Semitism at home, we will confront it.When we find anti-Semitism abroad,we will condemn it. And we condemnthe desecration of synagogues in Gazathat followed Israel’s withdrawal.

Under America’s system of reli-gious freedom, church and state areseparate. Still, we have learned thatfaith is not solely a private matter. Menand women throughout our historyhave acted on the words of Scriptureand they have made America a better,more hopeful place. When RabbiAbraham Heschel marched withMartin Luther King, we saw modern-day prophets calling on America tohonor its promises. We must allow peo-ple of faith to act on their convictionswithout facing discrimination. …

I want to thank you for your patri-otism. I want to thank you for compas-

sion. I want to thank you for your lovefor the United States of America. All ofAmerica is grateful to the Jewish peo-ple for the treasures you have given usover the past 350 years. May God blessyou, and may God continue to bless ourcountry. ¬

KENNETH J. BIALKINLadies and gentlemen:

We just heard the President of theUnited States speak of the remarkablehistory of the establishment of theJewish community in North America.We are especially grateful thatPresident Bush met with us at this cru-cial time in our history while he and thecountry confront and mourn the tragedyof Katrina and New Orleans. In thePresident’s busy day today, earlier, headdressed the United Nations. As hementioned to you, he met with thePrime Minister of Israel. Earlier tonighthe visited a historic synagogue inWashington. We appreciate the impor-tance his presence here today signals. ¬

BISHOP JAMES CHANE,EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OFWASHINGTON, DCFrom the first landing of Jewish settlersin New Amsterdam in 1654, who came toa new land seeking refuge, freedom frompersecution and a new life, the Jewishcommunity in America has exemplifiedthe unique relationship between free-dom and Jewish continuity.

As a Christian, I honor the dedica-tion of the American Jewish communityfor its steadfast commitment to freedom,opportunity, religious liberty, equality andpluralism....all hallmarks of America, andthe solid building blocks that define thegift of Judaism to the world.

Our Holy Books are different in someways and yet so connected in so manyothers. In our Holy Texts we learn thatwe all have a common father in Abraham.And it is Abraham who reminds us thatour brother and sisterhood should not bedivisible because of our separate faithtraditions, but rather we must alwaysremember our common roots and theone creator, God, who unites us as onehuman family defined by the commonbonds of mutual respect for one anotherand the shared valued of working for thegood of the commonwealth.

May this great celebration tonightbe pleasing to God and remind us all ofthe great gift of life, the indomitablewill and perseverance of the humanspirit and the gift of the Jewish peopleto the inter-faith community and theglobal community. ¬

Fall 2005 9

THEODORE CARDINALMCCARRICK,CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP,WASHINGTON, DCWhat a blessed day it was 350 years agowhen the Jewish people came to theUnited States. What an extraordinaryblessing they have been to our country!What a gift! God sent them here andthose that followed them have allbrought three great gifts: the gift offaith, the gift of family and the gift ofphilanthropy. All those things have beenso important for America.

Time and time again the Jewishleadership has come to the aid of thiscountry, in good times and in bad andhave made a difference in the historyof America. It is important for usalways to remember the gifts of faith. Ihope you never lose your Jewishness.The president said it earlier, and I sayit again as a Christian. Secondly, I hopeyou never lose your gift of family, thatsense of family, of belonging that hasbeen so powerful in keeping the Jewishpeople together in the world, and espe-cially in our own country. And third,that gift of philanthropy. I know of noother people who have been so gener-ous with their resources to help others,to help their own and to help others,and I hope you will never lose that. Isay that as one who has been the bene-ficiary often of that philanthropy.

Lastly, I want to talk about ournew Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.He had a wonderful visit to the Jewishsynagogue in Cologne in Germany that

had been destroyed on Kristallnacht, in1938, and was rebuilt in 1959. He men-tioned [there] that it was the fortiethanniversary of the great document ofthe second Vatican Council, a documentcalled Nostra Aetate. The Holy Fathersaid in the 40 years that had passedsince that conciliar document muchprogress has been made toward betterand closer relations between Jews andChristians. The document deplores feel-ings of hatred, persecution and demon-strations of anti-Semitism directedagainst the Jews at whatever time andby whomever. God created us all in hisimage, the Holy Father said, and thushonored us with a transcendent dignitythat each of us shares. The Pope wenton to say that so much has happened toinsure that the terrible horror of thepast will never happen again. And thenhe added, finally our gaze should notonly be directed at the past but shouldalso look forward to the tasks that awaitus today and tomorrow. Our rich com-mon heritage and our fraternal andmore trusting relations call upon us towork together on the practical level forthe defense and promotion of humanrights and the sacredness of human life,for family values, for social justice andfor peace in the world.

I conclude as did the Holy Fatherwith the words of Psalm 29 whichexpresses both a wish and a prayer: Maythe Lord give strength to his people.May He bless the people with peace.May he hear our prayers and bless ourfuture. God bless you all. Thank you. ¬

NATIONAL DINNER COMMITTEES

CELEBRATE 350: JEWISH LIFE IN AMERICA, 1654 – 2004

ROBERT S. RIFKIND, CHAIR

ALICE HERMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


KENNETH J. BIALKIN, CHAIR

SIDNEY LAPIDUS, PRESIDENT

DAVID SOLOMON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JACOB RADER MARCUS

CENTER OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH ARCHIVES

DR. GARY P. ZOLA, DIRECTOR

HOST COMMITTEE CHAIRS

S. DANIEL ABRAHAM

LEN BLAVATNIK

LESTER CROWN

MARILYN AND SAM FOX

DIANE AND GUILFORD

ILENE AND STANLEY GOLD

RUTH AND DAVID GOTTESMAN

SUSAN AND ROGER HERTOG

LINDA AND MICHAEL JESSELSON

DEANNE AND ARNOLD KAPLAN

RUTH AND SIDNEY LAPIDUS

RONALD S. LAUDER

BARBARA AND IRA A. LIPMAN

MS. SHARON HANDLER

AND AMB. JOHN L. LOEB, JR.

INGEBORG AND IRA RENNERT

SUSAN AND JACK RUDIN

MRS. EDMOND J. SAFRA

JEANIE AND JAY SCHOTTENSTEIN

LYNN SCHUSTERMAN

KATHERINE FARLEY

AND JERRY SPEYER

MERRYL H. AND JAMES S. TISCH

JOAN AND SANDY WEILL

FRED S. ZEIDMAN

THE ZELL FAMILY

ROY J. ZUCKERBERG

MORT ZUCKERMAN

HOST COMMITTEE VICE CHAIRS

HORACE W. GOLDSMITH FOUNDATION

BRENDA AND BURTON LEHMAN

PHYLLIS AND WILLIAM MACK

LEONARD P. SHAYKIN

ALAN B. SLIFKA

HONORARY COMMITTEE

HIS EMINENCE THEODORE CARDINAL MCCARRICK

THE RT. REV. JOHN BRYSON CHANE

SHELDON S. COHEN

RABBI DAN EHRENKRANTZ

AMB. STUART EIZENSTAT

RABBI DAVID H. ELLENSON

BEVERLY SILLS GREENOUGH

AMB. MARTIN S. INDYK

RICHARD M. JOEL

DR. HENRY A. KISSINGER

DR. NORMAN LAMM

ROBERT M. MORGENTHAU

AMB. ALFRED H. MOSES

DR. JEHUDA REINHARZ

AMB. DENNIS ROSS

DR. ISMAR SCHORSCH

ELIE WIESEL

10


LYNN SCHUSTERMAN For 350 years America has been a nur-turing home, not just a haven for Jews,protected by the same inalienable fun-damental rights afforded allAmericans. Jewish life in our greatnation has flourished in unprecedentedways. American Jewry has never beenstronger, safer or more secure. Weenjoy success in almost every field ofendeavor. The social barriers to entryfor so many of our ancestors confront-ed are virtually nonexistent, and as aresult we have been able to contributesignificantly to America. It is no acci-dent of history that Jewry has thrivedin America. In the words of Justice

Louis Brandeis, “Jews are by reason oftheir tradition and their character per-fectly fitted for the attainment ofAmerican ideals.”

To be good Americans we must bebetter Jews. We must also, as Godpromised to Abraham, be as numerousas the stars in the heaven. AmericanJewry must continue to grow in sizeand in vibrancy if we wish to continuecontributing to our community and ful-filling our biblical injunction of TikkunOlam. Our community must celebrateits growing diversity by embracing allwho may look to Judaism as their pathto personal meaning and fulfillment.

Our congregations, our schools,our institutions must become morewelcoming to those Jews we have yetto engage. We have to go to those non-traditional families seeking places inJewish life to the rapidly increasingnumber of Jews of color and all thosewilling to raise their children in aJewish home. We live in an era whenall Jews are Jews by choice. Our com-munity and in turn our nation can ben-efit from these new sources of vitalityand strength. Together we must con-

tinue to demonstrate what makesJudaism so special, to highlight itstimeless relevance, to interpret itstranscendent message of hope.

We particularly need to inspireand invest in our young people, insur-ing that Judaism will enrich their livesso that they may enrich the world.Among the young people at your tableare student leaders in Jewish teen andcampus organizations – Israel activists,Jewish cadets from West Point and Jewish midshipmen from the U.S.Naval Academy. I would like to take amoment for each of them to pleasestand. Please talk with them, encour-age them, but most importantly men-tor them. They are our future. Theyare already infusing our communitywith creative forms of Jewish engage-ment. The expressive energy that theyand their peers are unleashing todaywill impact American Jewish life in apositive way for generations to come,and they will make sure that we arehere for the four hundredth celebrationof American Jews. ¬

PRESIDENT BUSH GREETS ANN BIALKIN AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED GUESTS.

INVOCATIONRABBI DR. GARY P. ZOLAOn this night of historic commemora-tion, all of us here assembled should bemindful of our courageous forebearswho carried their lanterns of light alongthe dense pathways of generations past.As they moved toward the unknown, asthey faced unfamiliar challenges, as theybuilt their homes, earned their liveli-hoods, and raised their families, theycarried a lantern in their hands and intheir hearts to guide them through theinscrutable future. The lamps ourancestors carried have always beenfueled by faith, by courage, and by hope.

Eternal Source of Past, Presentand Future! At this special hour ofcommemoration and recognition, as wegather together to commemorate 350years of Jewish life in America, maythe noble lessons of the past inspire usanew to face the daunting challenges ofour own era with a vision made clearerby the light of faith, of courage, and ofhope — eternal truths that have alwaysilluminated our way.

Yet even as we gratefully acknowl-edge the numberless gifts and bless-ings that have been laid in our cradlesas a birthright, even as we fete this,our great nation and pay tribute to thegenerations of men and women uponwhose shoulders we now stand, we areall especially mindful this evening ofthe terrible devastation that has befall-en thousands upon thousands of our

fellow citizens in the Gulf Coast region.Our rejoicing is tempered by the dimen-sions of their loss. Let each of usresolve to lend a hand so that thisnation, in a full spirit of caring and com-passion, will yet give new meaning to the immortal words of this evening’spoet laureate: “Send these, the home-less, tempest-tost to me, I [will yet] liftmy lamp” in faith, courage, and hope.

In a spirit of deeply felt gratitudefor this land of opportunity, and in rev-erent appreciation for our Constitution

that has pledged liberty and justice toall, and in the hope that peace and secu-rity may yet descend on us and allhumankind, we invoke now a contempo-rary rendering of the prayerful senti-ments that the father of this nation con-ferred upon all of us two hundred andfifteen years ago: “May the Eternal Onescatter light and not darkness in ourpaths, and make us all — in our severalvocations — useful here, and in due time. . . everlastingly happy.”

Amen.

Fall 2005 11

L > R: FRED S. ZEIDMAN , CHAIR, U.S. HOLOCOUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM, WASH DC;

SID LAPIDUS, PRESIDENT, AJHS; PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

12


ARABBI AVIS MILLER,CONGREGATION ADAS ISRAEL,WASHINGTON DC

Our God and God of our ancestors,we thank you for the blessing of havingreached this moment, celebrating 350years of Jewish life that has flourishedin this United States of America. Ourtradition teaches us to pray for thewelfare of the place in which we liveand so we do this evening as we pro-claim with sincerity, how fortunate weare to live in this time and in this place,how good is our fortune, how pleasantour lot, how beautiful our heritage.

Most of us here on this evening ofcelebration come from those huddledmasses yearning to breathe free. Thisland opened its golden door and wel-comed us. America has been good to usand good for us, and we have beengood for this country as well, as indi-viduals and as a Jewish community,giving freely of our resources andenergy, our talents and our ideals.

We acknowledge, God, our grati-tude for the ancient Biblical ideals ofliberty and justice that inspired thefounders of our country. May weappreciate the different blessings ofspirit that have made this countrystrong, among them the contributionsof American Jews; for the courage ofits pioneers; for the enterprise thatbuilt its cities; for the vision of itsartists; for the heroism of its fightersfor freedom and equality. May we con-tinue to work with all of our fellowAmericans of whatever race or creed,national origin or political preference

to build together the dream that isAmerica.

May we continue to strive for aworld of peace where nations shall notlift up sword against nation, a world offreedom where people everywhere canhave a voice in determining their ownwelfare and their own fate. May weappreciate the rich abundance of fieldand forest, the beauty of the mountainsand the waters and the clear blueskies, and may we use wisely and wellthese resources that you have given usand as we work toward Tikkun Olam,completing and perfecting the world ofyour creation.

May we also continue to build thedream here at home engaging whole-heartedly in Tikkun America, workingtoward a nation of opportunity for allpeople whatever their color or religion,whatever their ethnicity or gender, sothat others may flourish here as wehave. May we American Jews neverforget where we came from or losesight of where we are going.

The challenges that still await usor accustom us to the blight of povertyand disease, hunger and homelessness

that have become so apparent, sopainfully apparent in recent days. Maythis season of repentance and returnprompt us to reflect on whether thevalues of our country accord with reali-ty, acknowledging that though we arenot all guilty of injustice and indiffer-ence, we are all responsible for ourown choices of action or inaction. Maywe choose to be active partners in cre-ating a society in which every child hasa chance to live and to learn and tolove, a land in which the elderly andthe infirm are safe and cared for, citiesin which no one need go to bed in fearof violence or storm or terror. May wechoose as individuals and as a commu-nity committed to justice to build anAmerica in which every person canhave a home, and a hope for the future.

We are not ourselves gifted withprophecy, and we cannot know whatthe next 350 years or even the next 50years will bring for our people in thisland, but this we do know. We can useyour teachings, God of us all, to be apart of shaping the kind of UnitedStates of America that will be worthyof your blessing. HSaJ

PRESIDENT BUSH AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED GUESTS.

Fall 2005 13

In presenting the award to Koch, Societypresident Sidney Lapidus described himas “a man of courage, honesty and forth-right speech.” After becoming a decorat-ed infantryman in World War II, Kochbegan his political career in the 1960s bychallenging – and defeating – CarmineDeSapio, the powerful boss of TammanyHall, for district leader in GreenwichVillage. In 1968 Koch was elected to theNew York City Council and, a year later,to Congress. Despite the city’s crushingbankruptcy and spiritual malaise, hedecided to run for mayor in 1977 and was

elected. He said at his inauguration, inwords that would prove more thanprophetic, “We have been shaken by trou-bles that would have destroyed any othercity. But we are not any other city. We arethe city of New York and New York inadversity towers above any other city inthe world.”

By 1990, when Koch finished histhree terms in office, he had restoredthe city’s credit, persuaded cityemployees to trade the short term ben-efits of wage increases for the longterm benefits of a balanced budget,

and lifted the spirits of all NewYorkers.

Since that time, while practicinglaw in New York, Koch has remained apublic figure as a columnist, bookauthor, lecturer and television person-ality. Koch regularly speaks out againstterror, in support of Israel, and in favorof national security, religious and racialtolerance and human rights. Mostrecently, at the invitation of the presi-dent, Koch has led an American dele-gation to an international conference inEurope to address the problem ofworldwide anti-Semitism – both toanalyze and condemn its currentrevival, and to plot its future defeat.

In accepting the Emma LazarusStatue of Liberty Award, Koch said,“We, the Jewish community, treasureour status as U.S. citizens. We thankthose who through the centuries creat-ed and protected this country. We blessits elected officials for their positiveimpact on our lives, and we thank Godfor having brought us to its shoreseither by birth or immigration.” HSaJ

Koch Receives AJHS 2005 Emma Lazarus Statue of Liberty Award

DAVID P. SOLOMON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AJHS; FORMER NYC MAYOR EDWARD I. KOCH; KENNETH J. BIALKIN, CHAIRMAN AJHS; SIDNEY LAPIDUS PRESIDENT, AJHS

AAt the National Dinner on September 14, 2005 celebrating 350 years

of Jewish settlement in the United States, the American Jewish

Historical Society presented its prestigious Emma Lazarus Statue of

Liberty Award to Edward I. Koch. The former mayor of New York joins

an elite group of individuals who have received this prestigious award,

including Beverly Sills, Mortimer Zuckerman, Sylvia Hassenfeld, Henry

Kissinger, Sanford I. Weill and Felix Rohatyn, among others.

14


It’s your heritage…Join the American Jewish Historical Society.

The American Jewish Historical Society is theworld’s leading institution for communicat-ing the history of the Jewish people in theUnited States. This is so important because

the Society’s critical mission is not duplicated by anyother organization.

For more than a century, this institution has servededucators, students, rabbis, researchers, genealogists,filmmakers, curators and audiences – Jewish and non-Jewish alike, bringing forth the richness of the remark-able Jewish experience in this great nation.

Now more than ever, as we celebrate 350 years ofJewish life in America, support from friends and mem-bers like you can make a difference.

Without your commitment, the stories we tell andthe documents we preserve will be lost to future gen-erations.

What does your personal gift make possible?

Research and Scholarship> AJHS makes available millions of unique documents

from which researchers write the history of the

American Jewish experience.

> AJHS sponsors the AJHS Academic Council, the onlyprofessional organization in the field. Its scholarlyconferences are critical to developing new scholar-ship and ideas in American Jewish history.

> AJHS provides fellowships to young scholars aspiringto academic careers.

> AJHS publishes American Jewish History, the mostrespected scholarly journal in the field.

Public Knowledge and Understanding> AJHS produces museum exhibitions, lectures, con-

certs, film series and popular cultural events thatactively reinforce Jewish identity and pride, whileconveying the record of American Jewish accomplish-ment to people of all backgrounds.

> Recent exhibits include our partnership with theLibrary of Congress on “From Haven to Home: 350Years of Jewish History in America,” the largest exhi-bition on this subject ever assembled.

> AJHS has created the Archive of American Jews inSports, the first full-scale archival effort of its type in

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN NY – 1827

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE 1881 PURIM BALL, NY

We are proud to be your link to the past, for the sake of the future. We simply can’t do it without you.

Fall 2005 15

the United States. AJHS published a wildly popularset of cards of every Jew who played major leaguebaseball from 1872 to the present.

> AJHS produces two heavily visited websites enjoyedby teachers, students, rabbis, newspaper editors andthe general public: www.ajhs.org and www.jewsin-sports.org.

> AJHS’s Project ADAJE has begun digitization of allAmerican Jewish periodicals from the 1840s to thepresent, offering free access to a wealth of historicalresources. The AJHS journal, American JewishHistory, and its predecessor titles from 1893 through1979 are currently available on-line at www.ajhs.org.

Your support keeps our history aliveTomorrow’s history lessons will be written and under-stood because, today, you helped advance the missionof the American Jewish Historical Society.

Current initiatives that are enhanced though yourgenerosity include:

> Collecting the personal papers of leading figures inthe Jewish counterculture movement of the 1960s and1970s, which contributed so much to renewingAmerican Judaism.

> Acquiring and preserving the records of theAmerican Soviet Jewry movement, including theNational Conference on Soviet Jewry and the Unionof Councils for Soviet Jewry.

> Saving the records of the Ethiopian Jewry movementand those of the American Jewish Congress, theCouncil of Jewish Federations, the National JewishWelfare Board, and hundreds of organizations, syna-gogues, movements and initiatives that have shapedAmerican Jewish life.

Your support directly enables us to continue ourimportant work. Whether in business and finance, poli-tics, education, science, arts, human rights, sports,entertainment to the everyday activities of family life–AJHS has ensured that the record from 1654 to thepresent is kept, that the stories are told, and ourshared history is not forgotten.

Please join us now or give the gift of membershipwith a tax-deductible donation and receive the benefitsof membership. Call 1-866-740-8013, visit our websitewww.ajhs.org or use the enclosed membership form tomake sure you continue to be a part of the legacy.

To explore other instruments of giving includingnaming AJHS as a beneficiary in your will and joining our Haym Salomon Society please call, in confidence,Cathy Krugman in our Development Department at (212) 294-6164. HSaJ

ISAAC MEYER WISE

BILHAH AGIBAL FRANKS 1696 – 1756

AJHS is a 501(c)3 organization – all gifts

are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

CFor the millions of Jewish immigrantswho came to America at the end of thenineteenth and beginning of the twenti-eth centuries, Chanukah in the NewWorld took on conflicted meanings.Chanukah’s proximity to Christmasposed – and continues to pose – particu-lar challenges for many Jews. By thetime of massive Jewish immigration inthe 1880’s, Christmas had alreadybecome America’s premiere season forgift giving. For many Americans in the1870s and 80s, general feelings of “goodcheer” had already replaced the reli-gious basis for Christmas. The holidaywas rapidly becoming a national, ratherthan purely Christian, celebrationfocused on secular consumerism, ratherthan religious observance.

For those Jewish immigrants whofelt pressure to shed their Europeanways, exchanging gifts with neighborsat Christmas time signaled their adap-tation to their new home. In 1904, theForward quoted Jewish Christmasshoppers who asked, in Yiddish, “Whosays we haven’t Americanized?” Thepaper observed, “The purchase ofChristmas gifts is one of the firstthings that proves one is no longer agreenhorn.”

Not everyone found this comfort-ing. Henrietta Szold wrote in the JewishMessenger in 1879, “Why need we adopt

the Christmas tree, ridiculously bap-tized a Chanukah bush? Have we notthe Menorah, connected so closely withthe visions of the prophets and the alle-gories of the Bible?” Writing in TheMenorah Journal in 1890, RabbiKaufman Kohler asked, “How can theJew, without losing self-respect, par-take in the joy and festive mirth ofChristmas? Can he without self-surren-der, without entailing insult and dis-grace upon his faith and race, plant theChristmas tree in his household?”

Rabbi Kohler admitted, nonethe-less, that Chanukah as then celebratedcould not hold a candle (so to speak) toChristmas. Kohler said of the compari-son, “How humble and insignificantdoes one appear by the side of theother.” Jewish homemaking advisorEsther Jane Ruskay lamented in 1902that Christmas’s focus on family cele-brations, gift giving, decorations andSanta Claus “gives a zest to life that allthe Chanukah hymns, backed by all theSunday-school teaching and half-heart-ed ministerial [rabbinic] chiding, mustforever fail to give.”

Historian Joshua Plaut notes thatin response to the pervasive influenceof Christmas, “Some Jewish families inNew York, San Francisco, Boston, HotSprings, Baltimore, New Orleans, andToledo staged their own celebrations

on the night of December 24.Incorporating both Christmas andChanukah symbols, regardless ifChanukah fell earlier or later on thecalendar, they decorated Christmastrees, exchanged gifts, and hungwreaths on the doors of their homesand stockings on the fireplace.” Plautquotes a report in Chicago’s JewishAdvance on December 27, 1878 aboutChanukah at Temple Sinai in that city:

The fine Temple was crowded withgrown people and children. TheChanukah Tree was brilliantly illu-minated with wax candles. Theservices commenced with thesinging of the first stanza of theChanukah hymn by the Sabbath-school children.

According to Jenna Joselit, it wasnot until the 1920s, when legislationseverely curtailed Jewish immigration,that Chanukah really “began to comeinto its own as a Jewish domestic occa-sion and an exercise in consumption.”Merchandisers to Jews began advertis-ing their wares as ideal Chanukah

16


STATUE OF LIBERTY MENORAH, AJHS

Chanukah American Style

Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory in 164 B. C. E.

of armed Jewish rebels led by Judah the Maccabee over the army of

the Syrian despot, Antiochus IV. Today, Jews around the world mark

Chanukah not as an observance commanded by Scripture but one

that is traditional – and popular.

gifts. Der Tog carried an ad in Yiddishfor Hudson automobiles, which wereproclaimed “A Chanukah Present forthe Entire Family – The GreatestBargain (metsiah) in the World.”Colgate promoted toiletries asChanukah gifts, and food purveyorssuch as Loft’s and Barton’s candiesmarketed chocolates wrapped in goldfoil to simulate Chanukah gelt. AuntJemima flour proclaimed itself “thebest flour for latkes,” and the HadassahNewsletter advised that “mah-jong setsmake appreciated Chanukah gifts.”Plaut quotes the 1931 how-to classic,What Every Jewish Woman ShouldKnow, as offering the following advice:

It is a time hallowed Jewish cus-tom to distribute gifts in honor ofthe Hanukkah festival. If ever lav-ishness in gifts is appropriate, it is

on Hanukkah. Jewish childrenshould be showered with gifts,Hanukkah gifts, as a perhaps primi-tive but most effective means ofmaking them immune against envyof the Christian children and theirChristmas.

With the creation of the State ofIsrael in 1948, Chanukah took on a new,or rather, renewed meaning. The valorand success of Israeli military forceshelped restore the image of the Jew asfighter. Zionists proudly identified theHaganah, Irgun and other Jewish fight-ing forces as descendants of theMaccabis. After the Six Day War in1967, Loft’s Chocolates issued aChanukah board game called “ValorAgainst Oppression” that featuredGeneral Moshe Dayan. Not to be out-done, Barton’s produced what Joselit

calls “an Israelized version of Monopolywhose board featured a map of Israel,miniature Israeli flags [and] menorahs.”Plaut cites sociologist Marshal Sklare’sresearch in the 1950s and ’60s on sec-ond- and third-generation Jews asestablishing that, “Instead of alienatingthe Jew from the general culture,Hanukkah helps to situate him as aparticipant in that culture. Hanukkah,in short, becomes for some the JewishChristmas.” Plaut observes, “Ironically,by elevating Chanukah as a Jewishalternative to Christmas, AmericanJews had invented their own holidaytradition through a Christmas mirror.”

Despite the shifts in the meaningof Chanukah over time, the holidayremains a “December dilemma” formany American Jews. For youngerJewish children, December still offersthe omnipresent lures of Santa Claus.Nonetheless, Chanukah seems to growin popularity as the observance of tra-ditional Jewish ritual becomes morewidespread. In 1951, a CaliforniaJewish woman offered advice that,while implicitly acknowledging theparallels between Chanukah andChristmas, still makes sense today.

Let this be our guiding principle:

Keeping within the framework ofour own tradition, using a colorscheme of blue and silver and yellowand gold, let us adorn our homesinside and out as beautifully as wecan for Chanukah, enlarging uponthe old-time Feast of Lights.

FURTHER READING: Joshua Eli Plaut, “The Xmas Mirror”Reform Judaism, volume 33, no. 2.

Jenna Wiseman Joselit, “’Oy to the World’: The Plenty andPromise of Jewish Life in U.S.” Forward, December 7, 2001.

HSaJ

Fall 2005 17

“MERRY HANNUCAH” PROGRAM CARD, 1907

K. K. Mikve Israel (Philadelphia) Collection, AJHS

18


An Opportunity for Planned Giving...Invest in AJHS: It’s Your Heritage.

YYour planned gift to AJHS will ensurethe organization’s financial well-beingand enable it to continue its critical mis-sion of preserving our past for futuregenerations.

There are several creative givingoptions to help donors raise their ownphilanthropic sights. These may offersignificant tax savings, income, andother advantages to you and your family.

THE WAYS OF GIVING

Gifts of Cash and SecuritiesConvenient With Attractive BenefitsA gift by check is the most common andconvenient way to enhance the financialhealth of the American JewishHistorical Society.

A gift of appreciated securities (such asstocks, mutual funds, and bonds) canprovide important tax benefits. Forexample, an outright gift of long-termappreciated stocks avoids capital gainstaxes and, in most cases, provides acharitable income tax deduction.

Bequests Made Through Your Will: A Simple StatementA bequest can serve as a lasting trib-ute to a person’s life and to the work ofthe American Jewish HistoricalSociety. Often a simple statement inyour will is all that is required. A donorcan leave a bequest in the form of cash,securities, or real property. Eachwould be exempt from federal andstate inheritance taxes.

There are several types of bequest thatone may consider ie. specific, general,residuary. Any of these can be madecontingent upon the circumstancesdefined in your will.

Sample language will be provided atyour request.

The Haym Solomon SocietyThe Haym Solomon Society has beenestablished to honor those members andfriends who remember AJHS with aplanned gift. The Commitment of thesefriends helps assure that AJHS’s legacywill continue for generations to come.

If you have already made provisions fora planned gift to AJHS, kindly notify usso that we may thank you and add yourname to The Haym Solomon SocietyHonor Roll.

The American Jewish Historical Societyhas an ambitious vision for its secondcentury. Members and friends have theopportunity to ensure that this visionbecomes a reality. We invite you tobecome partners with us. When youleave your legacy, we can continue toleave ours!

To explore other instruments of givingincluding naming AJHS as a beneficiaryin your will and joining our HaymSolomon Society please call, in confidence,Cathy Krugman in our DevelopmentDepartment at (212) 294-6164. HSaJ

> The future of AJHS depends on the forethought and

generosity of its members and friends today.

> You will have the opportunity to link your name in perpetuity

to those ideals and goals with which you strongly identify.

> Planned Giving is a thoughtful way of realizing significant

financial benefits while making more generous charitable gifts

than you ever thought possible.

TAVAILABLE AT: WWW.NATURESPIRITSGIFTS.COM

Fall 2005 19

TThe stirring words of “The NewColossus” are almost as familiar to mostAmericans as the national anthem.These words were penned in November1883 by American Jewish poet EmmaLazarus, in her ode to the Statue ofLiberty. Today her sonnet is consideredone of the classic documents ofAmerican history. In 1976, the originalhandwritten version of the sonnet trav-eled across the nation as part of ourBicentennial celebration.

Now, you can own your own copyof Lazarus’s stirring poem in her ownhand. After Emma Lazarus died tragi-cally at age 38, her family donated herpersonal notebook of handwrittenpoems to the American JewishHistorical Society. The Society hasnow produced a limited edition offramed facsimiles of Lazarus’s master-piece. You can purchase one from theSociety for your home or office or for aschool or library in your community.

EMMA LAZARUS SONNET “THE NEW COLOSSUS”

16" x 20" matted

and framed $125

plus $5 shipping

To order use the back of our

membership form, call 1 866

740-8013, or visit our online

gift shop at www.ajhs.org

Attendance to date has been substantial.In addition to tour groups organized byJewish schools, synagogues, Hadassahchapters and others, the courthouse isregularly visited by local public schoolclasses from around the greater Bostonarea. Most of the public school visitorsare not Jewish and many are immi-grants or members of minority groups,and the exhibition contains sections onimmigration, discrimination, legal rightsand the Jewish justices of the SupremeCourt that make it relevant to their ownexperience.

As the courthouse is closed onSundays and evenings, the Society hashad to raise funds to cover the securitycosts of five “Open Sundays” betweenSeptember 2005 and the end ofJanuary 2006. Generous donors havemade it possible for Jewish Sundayschools and other tour groups to attendon these Open Sundays. Additionally,the exhibition has drawn crowds to thecourthouse for a “Lunchtime LectureSeries” featuring academics JonathanSarna, Karla Goldman, Ann Braude,David Starr, Michael Feldberg andSteven Whitfield.

To enrich the viewing experiencefor school groups, the Society engagedFacing History and Ourselves, the notedHolocaust educational organization, todevelop a teacher’s curriculum packet.

To learn more about the exhibi-tion, please go to www.ajhsboston.org.For information about the possibility ofbringing the exhibition to your commu-nity after it closes in Boston, pleasecontact Michael Feldberg, AJHSDirector of Research, [email protected] or 617-559-8883. HSaJ

20


AJHS Opens Exhibition in Boston

AAs the celebration of the 350th anniversary of American Jewish life

drew to a close at a National Dinner in Washington, DC (see story on

pages x-y), the American Jewish Historical Society’s Wyner Center

extended the commemoration until January 27, 2006 when it opened

its version of a former Library of Congress exhibition, “From Haven to

Home: 350 Years of American Jewish Life”, at the Moakley United

States Courthouse in Boston, MA. Using facsimiles of original objects

so that they could be displayed in a non-museum, high-traffic public

venue, the Society is able to make this major exhibition to thousands

of Bostonians who would otherwise not have an opportunity to be a

part of the 350th anniversary celebration.

Contribute to the American JewishHistorical Society, and you will discoverthe joy of American Jewish music inthis unique 50-CD collection, including:world-premiere recordings of rareJewish works by Leonard Bernsteinand Kurt Weill’s stupendous Jewishepic The Eternal Road; cantorial andchoral music for prayer and meditation;favorite American Yiddish stage songslike “Bay Mir Bistu Sheyn” in all-newrecordings; festive music for Hanukkah,Passover, and the High Holy Days;klezmer concertos; and Jewish sym-phonies by world-famous composers.

All recordings are new and performed by internationally famous artists including cantors Alberto Mizrahi

and Benzion Miller; conductors Gerard Schwarz, Yoel Levi, and Sir Neville Marriner; the Academy of St.

Martin in the Fields, the Royal Liverpool

Philharmonic, and the Seattle Symphony

orchestras; Yiddish star Bruce Adler,klezmer-clarinetist David Krakauer, the

Broadway stars Tovah Feldshuh andTheodore Bikel, the Vienna Choir Boys,the Juilliard Quartet, jazz legend Dave Brubeck, and many others. Morethan 250 artists and ensembles are fea-tured in over 500 new recordings ofAmerican Jewish music, including hun-dreds of world premieres. The 50 CDsare accompanied by comprehensiveliner notes and essays by award-winningauthor Neil W. Levin.

This 50-CD treasury of AmericanJewish Music is an exclusive premiumfor contributors of $500 to theAmerican Jewish Historical Society.See page 14 for details. Your support ofJewish culture in America is deeplyappreciated. HSaJ

Fall 2005 21

The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music is an unparalleled

collection – 50 superbly recorded CDs of Jewish music created

in America over the past 350 years. This abundant and

remarkably diverse repertoire reflects the history, evolution

and variety of the Jewish experience in America.

Honored at the 2005 Grammy Awards and winner of the

2004 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for liner notes excellence,

the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music is making Jewish

and musical history! Features about the Milken Archive have

appeared on PBS and National Public Radio, in the New York

Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Jerusalem Post and hundreds

of other national and international publications.

See reviews and awards at www.milkenarchive.org

SUPPORT AJHSBecome an AJHS member and

receive a music gift from the

Milken Archive.

3 membership levels:

Sustaining Member. With a

$100 contribution receive 1

American Jewish Music sampler CD

with our thanks.

350th Anniversary Member. With a

$350 contribution receive

25 American Jewish Music CDs

with our thanks.

Sponsor Member. With a

$500 contribution receive

all 50 American Jewish Music CDs

with our thanks.

Become a member. Here’s how:

- Call toll-free, at 1 866 740-8013

Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 5 PM,

- Visit www.ajhs.org, or

- Fill out and mail the enclosed

membership envelope.

“Performances are top notch” – Fanfare

SUPPORT AJHS & Receive an Award-WinningJewish Music Collection on 50 CDs

22

Jewish Women Headline New Set of Baseball Cards


Just in time for Chanukah, the American Jewish Historical Society and the nonprofit

Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc. are issuing a supplementary set of baseball cards to

update and complete the first edition of cards of Jewish major league baseball

players that it created in 2004. Containing 55 cards describing the

accomplishments of recent players such as Kevin Youkilis and Adam Stern of the

Red Sox, Hall of Fame broadcaster Mel Allen and several old-timers who were

inadvertently omitted, such as Jose Bautista and Hall of Fame player-manager

Lou Boudreau, the new set is the perfect complement and update to the 2003

limited edition, which contains cards for 142 players who appeared in major league

games between 1872 and 2003.

This year’s edition contains cards forfour Jewish women who played in theAll American Girls Professional BaseballLeague (AAGPBL), made famous by thefilm “A League of Their Own.” Of course,today these players would be in a“women’s” league, not one with thename “girls” in the title. One of the mostversatile and talented Jewish profession-al athletes in the AAGPBL was Gertrude“Tiby” Eisen, whose photograph in herGrand Rapids, Michigan team uniformgraces the cover of this issue. Born inLos Angeles in 1922, Eisen was a star ofthe AAGPBL. One of as many as fourJewish women in the league, Eisen wasits only Jewish star player.

The young Eisen was an outstand-ing athlete in her native Los Angelesand started playing semi-pro softball atage 14. In 1940, at age 18, Eisen’s all-around ability led her to try her handat women’s professional football.California investors started a short-lived women’s professional footballleague and Eisen played fullback forone of the two Los Angeles teams.When the city council passed an ordi-nance that banned females from play-ing tackle football within the confinesof Los Angeles, the teams traveled toGuadalajara, Mexico, where, accordingto Eisen, they “filled the stadium.”

Before she joined the All-AmericanBaseball League, Eisen applied for ajob at the Bank of America in LosAngeles, which sponsored a women’ssoftball team. The salary for women atthe bank was about $60 per month.“You’d work for the bank,” Eisenrecalled, “then play for the team. I hadmy interview, but never heard fromthem.” Eisen later found out why. “Mygirlfriend, who played on the team, toldme they didn’t hire me because I was

Jewish – but she didn’t tell me thatuntil twenty years later because shedidn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

When the All-American GirlsProfessional Baseball League wasformed in 1943, Eisen won a spot onthe Milwaukee team, which moved thenext year to Grand Rapids. Eisen’s bestseason was in 1946, when she led theAAGPBL in triples, stole 128 bases andmade the all-star team.

Eisen’s family was ambivalentabout the career choice their “niceJewish girl” had made, although sheultimately won their respect. “Weplayed a big charity game in Chicagofor a Jewish hospital,” Eisen recalled inan interview with historian DavidSpaner. “My name and picture were inevery Jewish newspaper. My uncle,who had said, ‘You shouldn’t be playingbaseball – you’ll get a bad reputation, abad name,’ was in the stands … burst-ing with pride that I was there.”

During her professional baseballcareer, Eisen could recall only oneinstance in which her religion becamean issue:

When I was playing for Fort Wayne,I was in the outfield and thoughtthere were three outs. There wereonly two, but I was coming in fromthe outfield. The manager BillWambsganss [the first man in majorleague history to complete an unas-sisted triple play] was waving, ‘Goback, go back.’ And he turned to oneof the players sitting on the benchand said, ‘I never heard of a Jewthat couldn’t count.’

When Eisen retired from profes-sional baseball 1952, she became a starfor the Orange Lionettes softball teamand led them to a world championship.

In 1993, she helped establish thewomen’s exhibit at the Baseball Hall ofFame in Cooperstown, NY. Eisen toldDavid Spaner, “We’re trying to recordthis so we have our place in history. It’simportant to keep our baseball league inthe limelight. It gets pushed into thebackground ... [just as] women havebeen pushed into the background forev-er. If they knew more about our league,perhaps in the future some women willsay, ‘Hey, maybe we can do it again.’”

A footnote: In the movie “A Leagueof their Own,” Madonna, who now(controversially) identifies herself as aJew, played the character of FayeDancer. In 1947, the real-life FayeDancer was traded for another player,none other than Tiby Eisen.

These cards are only available for pur-chase through the American JewishHistorical Society. To obtain the latestset of cards or one of the few remainingsets of the first edition, please turn topage 28. HSaJ

Fall 2005 23

350 YEARS OF JEWISH LIFE IN AMERICA (1654 – 2004)OFFICIAL MEDAL

24


Bronze Replica of the Gold MedalPresented to President GeorgeW. Bush on behalf of the

American people, Mr. Bush accepted theofficial commemorative gold medalminted for the celebration at the recentdinner in Washington marking the endof the year of celebration. We have onlyfifty available. Orders will be filled whilestock lasts.

Issued on the 350th anniversary ofthe arrival of the first Jewish settlersin New Amsterdam (New York).Features the words of GeorgeWashington, including the famousstatement that “A Government whichto bigotry gives no sanction, to perse-cution no assistance.” Magnificentdesign by Dana Krinsky. Comes inpouch with certificate of authenticity.

3" 8 oz. Medal $100

plus $5 shipping

24" x 36" rolled in a tube $20

or folded flat $14 shipping $5

With unique images drawnfrom the extensive archivesof the American Jewish

Historical Society, this beautiful time-line poster (with text by ProfessorPamela Nadell) will entertain and edu-cate. From the first settlement in 1654to the nomination of Joe Lieberman forVice President of the United States,you will find fascinating incidents anddevelopments that made the AmericanJewish experience. A must for everyhome, school and library. 24" x 36".

COMMEMORATIVE POSTER

To order use the back of our mem-

bership form, call 1 866 740-8013,

or visit www.ajhs.org




THE LUNATIC JANUARY 18TH, 1922

AUTHOR: HARRY KALMANOWITCH

PLACE: PEOPLE’S THEATRE,

BOWERY AND SPRING STREET, NY, NY

CAST: BERTHA GERSTEN, SIDNEY HART,

LUDWIG SATZ, JACOB WEXLER

PRODUCER: MAX ROSENTHAL

PRINTED BY BERKSHIRE POSTER CO., NY, NY

STONE LITHOGRAPHY IN GREEN, RED, BLUE,

YELLOW AND BLACK.

Beautiful and historic posters in Yiddish and English

have been faithfully reproduced from the originals in

our archives. Two sizes available to fit standard frames.

Printed on acid-free paper using ultraviolet resistant

inks. For a larger selection visit our online gift shop at

www.ajhs.org

EXCLUSIVE POSTER REPRODUCTIONS FROM THE ORIGINALS IN OUR ARCHIVES

MOLLY PICON –AY QUE MUCHACHA!, 1932

AUTHOR: HARRY KALMANOWICH

MUSIC: JOSEPH RUMSHINSKY

PLACE: TEATRO EXCELSIOR, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

CAST: JACOB KALICH, MOLLY PICON

PRINTED BY: SISTO Y LEMME, BUENOS AIRES

STONE LITHOGRAPHY IN BLUE, RED, YELLOW, AND

BLACK.

U.S. WAR BONDS POSTER

AJHS COLLECTION

DONATED BY SID LAPIDUS

THE RABBI’S FAMILY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1921

AUTHOR: JOSEPH LATEINER

MUSIC: JOSEPH BRODY

PLACE: THE PEOPLE’S THEATRE,

BOWERY AND SPRING STREET, NY, NY

N.Y. CAST: BERTHA GERSTEN,

SAMUEL GOLDENBERG, LUDWIG SATZ,

NETTIE TOBIAS AND AN “ALL STAR CAST.”

DIRECTOR: MAX ROSENTHAL.

PRINTED BY BERKSHIRE POSTER CO., NY,

NY

STONE LITHOGRAPHY IN YELLOW, RED,

BLUE, GREEN AND BLACK.

16" x 20" at $20

24" x 36" at $30

plus $5 shipping




Join us as a member and get a poster as our gift. Seemembership form for details.

Fall 2005 25

26


For a larger selection visit our

online gift shop at www.ajhs.org

ORIGINAL TITLES FROM OUR BOOKSTORE

FACING THE NEW WORLD:

JEWISH PORTRAITS IN COLONIAL

AND FEDERAL AMERICA

This beautifully printed art book was orig-

inally published in conjunction with the

exhibition, “Facing the New World:Jewish

Portraits in Colonial and Federal America”

presented at the Jewish Museum in New

York in 1997 and the Maryland Jewish

Historical Society in Baltimore in 1998.

Edited by Richard Brilliant, with an essay

by Ellen Smith, this book contains numer-

ous color images in color and black and

white.

Paperback $20

THE JEWISH JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT

REVISITED: BRANDEIS TO FORTAS

Of the thirty-nine Justices who sat on the United

States Supreme Court between 1916 and 1969, five

were Jewish: Louis D. Brandeis, Benjamin N. Cardozo,

Felix Frankfurter, Arthur J. Goldberg, and Abe Fortas.

With a Preface by Justice Stephen G. Breyer and

Introduction by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, The

Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court devotes a

chapter to each of these Jewish Justices. Jennifer

M. Lowe, ed. Published by the Supreme Court

Historical Society and the American Jewish

Historical Society, 1994.

Paperback $20

JEWISH WOMEN IN AMERICA:

An Historical Encyclopedia 2 volumes. Edited by

Paula E. Hyman and Deborah Dash Moore. Sponsored by the

American Jewish Historical Society. Winner of the American

Library Association’s prestigious Dartmouth Medal Award

“for the creation of reference works of outstanding quality

and significance.” Winner of the Jewish Book Council’s

National Jewish Book Award for Women’s Studies and the

Barbara Dobkin Honorary Award.

Join us as a member and get this book as our gift. See membership form for details.

HARDCOVER $200

BLESSINGS OF FREEDOM

Blessings of Freedom is a collection of vignettes and episodes

that, taken together, outline the overriding directions and

tendencies of the much larger tapestry that comprises the

American Jewish experience. Starting in 1997, the American

Jewish Historical Society published a weekly feature entitled

“Chapters in American Jewish History” in the English-lan-

guage Forward and other newspapers. This volume comprises

120 of the best columns, organized according to subject and

period. Each chapter is a window through which the reader

gets an interesting and illuminating glimpse at an important

and often colorful aspect of the American Jewish story.

Bibliographical information is given for those interested in

learning more about the field.

Paperback $35




$5 shipping per order

‘GREETINGS FROM HOME’:

350 YEARS OF AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE.

This beautiful catalog accompanies the

Society’s current exhibition. Edited by

Michael Feldberg, this heavily illustrated

volume contains essays by Ruth Bader

Ginsburg, Hasia Diner and Stephen H. Jaffe.

A wonderful “short course” in American

Jewish history.

Paperback $24

Fall 2005 27

THE FIRST COMPLETE SET OF CARDS EVER FORJEWISH MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS

The first set of cards for EVERYKNOWN Jewish Major League Baseballplayer, from the 1870s to 2003! In con-junction with Jewish Major Leaguers,Inc., the American Jewish HistoricalSociety created this limited edition cardset for all 142 players. For more thanforty of these men, this is there first andonly card. Complete with photos andstatistic cards, including Hall of Fameplayers Sandy Koufax and HankGreenberg, future Hall of Famer ShawnGreen, All-Stars Al Rosen and KenHoltzman and old-timers like AndyCohen, Moe Berg and Harry “TheHorse” Danning, this set is truly one ofa kind. Jewish Major Leaguers is a lim-ited edition, boxed set.

Developed with the encouragementand cooperation of Major LeagueBaseball, the Players Association andthe Alumni Players Association, theSociety, in cooperation with Fleer pro-duced only a small, one-time printingin 2003 for our members. Our final lim-ited supply is available while they last.Our Limited gold edition is illustratedto the left. You can choose to buy themor receive selected items as member-ship gifts. Details are on our member-ship page. They make perfect life cyclegifts for your friends and family.




$5 shipping

Join us as a member and get cards as our gift. Seemembership form for details.

Complete basic collectible set$100

Limited silver edition (1,500 numbered) with silver foil details.$200

Limited gold edition (500 numbered) with gold foil details. Very Limited quantities$500

Get new 2006 update setfor free if you purchaseany of these sets beforeDecember 31st. $5 shipping additional.

JEWISH MAJOR LEAGUER BASEBALL CARDS 2006 UPDATE EDITION

Features New Players,

Discoveries, Women from the

AAGPBL Israeli National Team,

Selig, Miller, Fehr, Pioneers, More

The 2006 Update Edition of JewishMajor Leaguers baseball cards featuresJewish players who debuted in 2005,newly discovered old time players, play-ers from the women’s league of the1940’s, pioneers on and off the field, andmany more.

This 55-card set is a follow-up tothe hit 142 card original series of 2003.

There are 13 cards in the set torecognize the Jewish Major Leaguersfrom 2005, believed to be the most toever appear in one season in history.These players include Shawn Green,Brad Ausmus, Mike Lieberthal, AlLevine, Scott Schoeneweis, JasonMarquis, Gabe Kapler, John Grabow,Kevin Youkilis, Adam Stern, CraigBreslow, Adam Greenberg, and ScottFeldman. The set also includes “newlydiscovered” Jewish players of the past,including Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau(whose mother was Jewish), JoseBautista, Lefty Weinert, Jacob Atz,

Bob Davis, and Jacob Livingston. Acard features a team photo of theIsraeli National Team.

Four women who played in the AllAmerican Girls Professional BaseballLeague (AAGPBL) have cards of theirown – Thelma “Tiby” Eisen, AnitaFoss, Blanche Schachter and MargaretWigiser. (The tale of this league wastold in Penny Marshall’s film, “ALeague of their Own”).

The new set, handsomely packagedin a clear plastic box and availableonline at www.ajhs.org, toll free at 1866 740 8013 sells for $36 plus shippingand handling.

28





$5 shipping per order

Complete basiccollectible set$36

Join us as a member and get cards as our gift. Seemembership form for details.

Fall 2005 29Fall 2005 29

CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY 15 West 16th St, New York, NY Monday 11 AM – 7 PM; Tuesday – Thursday, 11 AM – 5 PM

Friday 11 AM – 3 PM; Sunday 11 AM – 5 PM free

EXHIBITIONAmerican Jewish Lives 1654 to the PresentUntil December 31, 2005How to be both Jewish and American? For350 years, American Jews have beenanswering this question in diverse,resourceful and highly individual ways. Theprofiles in this exhibition offer a glimpse atways to define the balance betweenAmerican and Jewish devised by nineAmerican Jews from the colonial erathrough the late twentieth century. Forthese women and men, an awareness of thefreedoms and opportunities that Americaafforded then coincided with a sense ofconnection to their fellow Jews at homeand elsewhere in the world.

JEWS & JUSTICE SERIESLaw’s Empire and the Sea of the Talmud:Ronald Dworkin on Jewish Law and InterpretationWednesday, December 7, 7pmProfessor Dworkin will, for the first time,address the application of his theories onjustice and the nature of legal interpreta-tion to Jewish law. $12$6 for students, seniors and AJHS membersMade possible through the generous support of The David Berg Foundation.

AMERICAN MASTERS: Jewish-American Classical Composers of the 20th CenturyMonday, December 12, 7:30pm Phoenix Chamber Ensemble will performmusic of George Gershwin, Aaron Copland,Leonard Bernstein and other composers in itssecond concert in this series. $10$5 students, seniors and AJHS members

A HANUKKAH CONCERT Featuring Dick Hyman and Isaiah ShefferSunday, December 18, 3pm$12$6 students, seniors, AJHS & ASJM members

JEWISH MUSIC FORUMFriday, January 20, 10am“The Tradition Continues on the Lower EastSide: Experimental Music and the AmericanJewish Imaginary in 1990s New York City”Tamar Barzel, Wellesley CollegeRespondent: Jonathan Freedman,University of Michigan Free admissionPresented by the American Jewish HistoricalSociety and the American Society of Jewish Music

MOAKLEY UNITED STATES COURT HOUSENorthern Avenue, Boston, MAMonday – Friday, 8 am – 6 pm plus occasional evenings and Sundays

EXHIBITION“Haven to Home: 350 Years ofAmerican Jewish Life” Monday-Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM, except on government holidaysOn Sunday, December 11, 2005 and Sunday,January 22, 2006 the exhibition will be avail-able for viewing between 10:00am and3:00pm. Docent guided tours will be given at1:00pm and 2:00pm and will last approxi-mately 1 hour. If you are interested in sched-uling a group tour please call 617-559-8882or email [email protected] by the American Jewish Historical Society617-559-8880 [email protected]

Lectures in conjunction with the exhibition

“AN OLD FAITH IN THE NEW WORLD:350 YEARS OF AMERICAN JUDAISM”December 7th, 2005 12:30 PM - 1:30 PMJonathan D. Sarna, Ph.D.Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History,Brandeis University

“THE AMERICAN JEWISH RESPONSE TO THE 1936 NAZI OLYMPICS”January 11th, 2006 12:30 PM - 1:30 PMMichael Feldberg, Ph.D.Director of Research, American Jewish Historical Society

IN HONOR OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY January 19th, 2006Please call 617-559-8880 or visit www.ajhs-boston.org as details become available.Presented by the American Jewish HistoricalSociety and Combined Jewish Philanthropies ofGreater Boston, in partnership with other community organizations

“THE HISTORIC ROLE OF JEWS INAMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC”January 27th, 2006 12:30 - 1:30 PMStephen J Whitfield, Ph.D.Professor of American Civilization, Brandeis University

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1154 Boylston Street, Boston

BOOK RECEPTION & LECTURE“THE JEWS OF BOSTON”December 13, 2005, 5:00 PMThe American Jewish Historical Society andthe Massachusetts Historical Society presentJonathan D. Sarna, Ellen Smith and Scott-Martin Kosofsky discussing their book. Free admission, but reservations required. Call 617 646-0560.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS DECEMBER 2005 – JANUARY 2006

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BRAND NEW JEWISH BASEBALL CARDS

IN TIME FOR CHANUKAH.

SEE PAGE 28 FOR DETAILS.

BRAND NEW JEWISH BASEBALL CARDS

IN TIME FOR CHANUKAH.

SEE PAGE 28 FOR DETAILS.

american jewish historical society

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