By Poorvi Bellur Part 3: William Maslow Read Introduction; Part 1 on Shad Polier; Part 2 on Justine Wise Polier The American Jewish Congress underwent multiple changes in its focus over the course of the early 20th century, however it was under the leadership of individuals like Will Maslow that it transformed into an organ for social justice advocacy. Phil Baum, Sylvia Deutsch, and…
By Poorvi Bellur Part 2: Justine Wise Polier Read Introduction; Part 1 on Shad Polier The daughter of AJC founder and prominent rabbi Stephen S Wise, Justine Wise Polier rose to become one of the foremost fighters for social justice and equality in legislation. Justine Wise Polier (American Jewish Historical Society, Shad Polier Papers, Call #P-572) Breaking barriers of religion and gender, Polier became…
By Poorvi Bellur Part 1: Shad Polier Read Introduction “The AJC began developing its program of using legislation and litigation to protect human rights in 1944 and 1945. At that time many respectable “liberal” organizations told us not to get involved in these projects. We ignored them and went ahead. We did so not because we’re a “liberal” organization but because we’re a Jewish…
By Poorvi Bellur Conducted over the course of Black History Month 2017, this research project is structured around primary sources from the archives and the personal collections of each of these individuals and their correspondences with other important leaders of the Civil Rights movement. This study focuses on the umbrella organization of the American Jewish Congress and profiles 3 major voices in the Jewish…
To commemorate the end of Black History Month, our new intern Poorvi Buller looked through an American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) collection of Shad Polier’s papers for quotes that are emblematic of this lawyer and activist’s commitment to protecting civil rights. Tomorrow, we will be tweeting these quotes out to remind all those in our community of the lasting significance of the civil rights movement, and…
The Issue is Silence: An Address by Rabbi Joachim Prinz, President of the American Jewish Congress, at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963 From American Jewish Congress records Courtesy of American Jewish Historical Society Allied in the Fight: Jews, Blacks and the Struggle for Civil Rights is on view through October 09, 2015 A new exhibit on display in The David…
Photos from the exhibit opening of Allied in the Fight: Jews, Blacks and the Struggle for Civil Rights Allied in the Fight: Jews, Blacks and the Struggle for Civil Rights is on view through October 09, 2015 A new exhibit on display in The David Berg Rare Book Room at the Center for Jewish History recounts the efforts made by American Jews and African…
Photo of the day: The American Jewish Congress takes a chartered bus from New York to Washington for the March on Washington, 1963. From American Jewish Historical Society. View the planning pamphlet for Jewish participation in the march here.
In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dayby David P. Rosenberg, M.P.A., Reference Services Research Coordinator, Center for Jewish History Jews have had a long history of supporting the civil rights movement. From heavily Jewish leadership during the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909, to Jews participating in the March on Washington in 1963, to efforts of…
by Ilana Rossoff, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History This post is part of the Jews and Social Justice Series. To view all posts in the series, click here. The Jewish Labor Committee is the longest existing prominent pro-civil rights Jewish labor organization. It was founded in 1934 as a union between the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA), the International Ladies Garment Workers…