Language:
German
Year of publication:
1994
Titel der Quelle:
Babylon; Beiträge zur jüdischen Gegenwart
Angaben zur Quelle:
13-14 (1994) 12-38
Keywords:
Jews History 1939-1945
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Public opinion
Abstract:
Notes that Jewish immigrants to the U.S. brought with them from Europe their feelings of insecurity, their need to look for protection to the authorities and, to that end, to assure the latter of their loyalty. The U.S., though promising equality and the right of every minority to preserve its way of life, actually practiced discrimination while imposing Americanization. For the Jews, patriotism became a means of survival and a substitute religion. This tendency peaked in the 1930s, just when the Jewish community was called upon to come to the aid of Jews in Germany. Shows the care taken by Stephen Wise and other Jewish leaders to preserve a low profile, and to always publicly place the interests of America above those of the Jews. Thus, they hesitated to call for opposition to Nazism, and did so, if at all, only as Americans and in the interests of democracy; they did not support liberalization of immigraton policy unless it was to apply to all victims of persecution. Concludes that American Jews were not indifferent to the fate of European Jews, but saw themselves as a minority at risk which must adjust to demands of loyalty to the nation whose protection it enjoyed.
URL:
Locate this publication in Israeli libraries
Permalink