{"id":2428,"date":"2012-02-17T18:48:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-17T18:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjhblog.cjh.org\/index.php\/2012\/02\/17\/circa-1942-text-on-back-of-photograph-president\/"},"modified":"2018-06-27T16:54:06","modified_gmt":"2018-06-27T16:54:06","slug":"circa-1942-text-on-back-of-photograph-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/2012\/02\/17\/circa-1942-text-on-back-of-photograph-president\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-2428 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/2012\/02\/17\/circa-1942-text-on-back-of-photograph-president\/attachment\/2429\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/tumblr_lzjw9iOLbq1r3qmd1o1_640-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><em>Circa 1942. Text on back of photograph:\u00a0<\/em><em>President Franklin Roosevelt expressing appreciation for the effectiveness of <a href=\"http:\/\/digifindingaids.cjh.org\/?pID=186993\" target=\"_blank\">JWB&rsquo;s [Jewish Welfare Board&rsquo;s]<\/a> religious activities program in rallying support of the Jewish community behind war efforts. Photo from\u00a0<\/em><em>American Jewish Historical Society Archives.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>U.S. Presidents and Jewish Officials<br \/><\/strong>by David P. Rosenberg, <em>Senior Reference Librarian &#8211; Collections, Center for Jewish History<\/em><\/p>\n<p>With Presidents\u2019 Day approaching, I remembered having encountered a book called <em><a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000127002&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\">The Presidents of the United States &amp; the Jews<\/a><\/em> (by David G. Dalin &amp; Alfred J. Kolatch) in our reading room here at the Center. I mentioned the book in my blog post, <a href=\"http:\/\/16thstreet.tumblr.com\/post\/14167096759\/the-american-jewish-chaplain-experience-historical\" target=\"_blank\">&ldquo;The American Jewish chaplain experience: historical perspectives.&rdquo;<\/a> Now I wondered about the relationships between individual presidents and Jewish officials, specifically in the country\u2019s earlier history. Our intern Zachary Loeb and I searched the collections to find out more, and here is some of the material that we discovered:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Benjamin Nones<\/strong> was a French Jew on George Washington\u2019s staff. The American Jewish Historical Society holds the <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000125721&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\">papers of the Nones family of Philadelphia<\/a> (1797-1887). AJHS also holds the <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126478%20&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Haym Salomon<\/strong> collection<\/a>. Solomon is known as a prime financier of the American Revolution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mordecai Manuel Noah <\/strong>was associated with several presidents including John Adams,\u00a0Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler. He became the first Jew to be appointed to a diplomatic post when he was appointed consul to Tunis in 1813. The <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126778&amp;format=999%2520%20%20000126778\" target=\"_blank\">Mordecai Manuel Noah collection<\/a> contains correspondence relating to Noah\u2019s political career. Items of particular note include a portion of the debate regarding the Impeachment of the President of the United States from 1827, a copy of an 1818 letter from President Thomas Jefferson to Noah, and an 1816 letter from Secretary of State James Monroe regarding Noah&rsquo;s dismissal as consul to Tunis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Uriah Phillips Levy<\/strong> commanded <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmajmh.org\/exhibitions\/uriahPhilipsLevy.php\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cthe Mediterranean fleet and received the honorary rank of Commodore.\u201d<\/a> He was instrumental under Presidents James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Tyler and Abraham Lincoln. Among other things, the <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000128701&amp;format=999%2520%20000128701%20\" target=\"_blank\">Uriah P. Levy collection<\/a> contains Isaac Markens\u2019s manuscript paper about the alleged claim that Levy was instrumental in abolishing flogging in the Navy.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><strong>David Levy Yulee<\/strong> became the first Jewish Senator in 1845. The <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126104&amp;format=999%2520%20000126104%20\" target=\"_blank\">David Levy Yulee papers<\/a> contain a letter to President Franklin Pierce and an executive order signed by President Andrew Johnson.\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Judah P. Benjamin <\/strong>turned down President Millard Fillmore&rsquo;s offer of a seat on the Supreme Court and is instead best known for his role as the &ldquo;Secretary of the Confederacy.&rdquo; <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126522%20&amp;format=999%2520%20000126522%20http:\/\/digital.cjh.org\/webclient\/DeliveryManager?pid=109168%20\" target=\"_blank\">Benjamin&rsquo;s collection<\/a> includes four Confederate notes and two bonds bearing his picture about ten years after he turned down rejected Fillmore&rsquo;s offer.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>According to <em><a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000127002&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\">The Presidents of the United States &amp; the Jews<\/a><\/em>, \u201cPierce has the unique distinction of being the only president whose name appears on the charter of a synagogue.\u201d This was a result of signing a bill that abolished District of Colombia laws that discriminated against Jewish houses of worship.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>Abraham Lincoln helped establish Jews in the military chaplaincy. (See my post on <a href=\"http:\/\/16thstreet.tumblr.com\/post\/14167096759\/the-american-jewish-chaplain-experience-historical\" target=\"_blank\">American Jewish chaplains<\/a>.) <strong>Adolphus Simeon Solomons<\/strong> was a Jew who was \u201cadmired and respected\u201d by Lincoln. He arranged for <strong>Rabbi Morris J. Raphall<\/strong> to give the first invocation at a morning session of Congress. As a side-note: Abraham Lincoln has street named after him in Jerusalem. (See the previously-cited <em><a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000127002&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\">Presidents of the United States&hellip;<\/a><\/em> p. 73-4).<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>Ulysses S. Grant served as the <em>kvater<\/em> for <strong>Simon Wolf\u2019s <\/strong>son. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yivoencyclopedia.org\" target=\"_blank\">The YIVO Encyclopedia for Jewish Research<\/a> defines &ldquo;<em>kvater<\/em>&rdquo; as &ldquo;godfather&rdquo; or &ldquo;the man honored with holding the child during the actual circumcision.&rdquo; <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126311&amp;format=999%2520%20%20\" target=\"_blank\">Simon Wolf&rsquo;s papers<\/a> in the collections are primarily composed of correspondence with members of Congress and government officials concerning anti-Semitism in the United States and abroad and the treaty with Russia.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126311&amp;format=999%2520%20%20\" target=\"_blank\">collection<\/a> also contains correspondence with <strong>Benjamin F. Peixotto<\/strong>. The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126177&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\">Benjamin Franklin Peixotto family papers<\/a>\u00a0contain the letter by Ulysses S. Grant appointing Peixotto as U.S. Consul-General to Romania.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><strong>Simon Wolf<\/strong> also served as a consul. He was pointed to the consul of Eygpt (when Jerusalem was under Egyptian control) a day before President James A. Garfield was shot&ndash;July 1st 1881. Garfield said of the appointment: \u201cI am happy to name a descendant of a people who had been enslaved by the Egyptians as a representative to that country from a great free land\u2026\u201d (<em><a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000127002&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\">Presidents of the United States&hellip;<\/a><\/em> p. 98. AJHS and YIVO have copies of Simon Wolf&rsquo;s <em><a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000103059%20&amp;format=999%2520%20%20http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000287138&amp;format=999%2520%20%20000287138%20\" target=\"_blank\">The presidents I have known from 1860-1918<\/a><\/em>.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><strong>Oscar Strauss<\/strong> became the first Jewish member of a cabinet when he was <a href=\"http:\/\/millercenter.org\/president\/roosevelt\/essays\/cabinet\/1799\" target=\"_blank\">appointed by Theodore Roosevelt<\/a>. He wrote a memoir on his presidential relations titled: Under four administrations, from <em><a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000108992&amp;format=999%2520%20%20000108992\" target=\"_blank\">Cleveland to Taft: \u00a0recollections of Oscar s. Straus<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><strong>Louis Brandeis<\/strong> was the first Jew appointed to the Supreme Court when he was tapped by Woodrow Wilson. AJHS has a small <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126629&amp;format=999%2520%20%20000126629\" target=\"_blank\">Louis Brandeis collection<\/a> and a multitude of books on and by him. Stephen Wise had extensive relations with Presidents Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft, Harry S. Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Rosevelt. AJHS has a set of microfilm (the originals are stored at Brandeis) of <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126771&amp;format=999%2520%20%20000126771\" target=\"_blank\">Stephen Wise papers<\/a>. Baruch also advised Wilson, and the <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000126179&amp;format=999%2520%20%20000126179%20\" target=\"_blank\">Bernard Baruch papers<\/a> are in the collections as well.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Paul J. Warburg<\/strong>\u00a0is known as \u201cone of the architects of the US. Federal Reserve System\u201d (<em><a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000127002&amp;format=999%2520%20\" target=\"_blank\">Presidents of the United States&hellip;<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>p. 141). The Leo Baeck Institute here at the Center has a work by him titled <a href=\"http:\/\/opac.cjh.org\/F?func=direct-doc-set&amp;doc_number=000160088&amp;format=999%2520%20%20000160088\" target=\"_blank\">Essays on banking reform in the United States<\/a>. \u00a0Warburg was the vice-Chairmen of the Federal Reserve Board after being nominated by Woodrow Wilson.\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>After President Wilson&rsquo;s time in office, Jewish involvement in politics and as advisers to Presidents became more and more commonplace, from the illustrious <strong>Henry\u00a0Kissinger<\/strong>&ndash;who is the subject of over 50 books in our collections&ndash;to<strong> Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg<\/strong>&ndash;nominated by Clinton as the second female \/ first Jewish female Supreme Court Justice, 77 years after Louis Brandeis was the first Jew to serve on the Supreme Court.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>To conduct your own search of our partners&rsquo; collections, <a href=\"http:\/\/search.cjh.org\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><em>Unless otherwise noted, all collections in this article are held by the American Jewish Historical Society.<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Circa 1942. Text on back of photograph:\u00a0President Franklin Roosevelt expressing appreciation for the effectiveness of JWB&rsquo;s [Jewish Welfare Board&rsquo;s] religious activities program in rallying support of the Jewish community behind war efforts. Photo from\u00a0American Jewish Historical Society Archives. U.S. Presidents and Jewish Officialsby David P. Rosenberg, Senior Reference Librarian &#8211; Collections, Center for Jewish History With Presidents\u2019 Day approaching, I remembered having encountered a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[400,588,398,590],"class_list":["post-2428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","hentry","category-blog-post","tag-david-p-rosenberg","tag-presidents-day","tag-research-and-reference-services","tag-united-states-presidents","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2430,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2428\/revisions\/2430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cjh.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}