President Truman’s call in May of 1948 could have gone another way, with most of his top advisors objecting to recognition of the Jewish State. Today, the National Library of Israel houses several historic artifacts from the momentous occasion.
Abraham Lincoln: “We Have Not Yet Appointed a Hebrew”
In 1862, during the Civil War, President Lincoln personally intervened to appoint a Jewish officer to the United States military.
Remembering Judith Resnik, the First Jewish-American in Space
Resnik and her six crewmates were killed 40 years ago aboard the shuttle Challenger. Their memories continue to encourage young people to reach, as did the seven astronauts, for the stars.
George Gershwin: A Jewish Voice in the American Soundscape
“I think that many of my themes are Jewish in feeling, although they are purely American in style,” Gershwin, one of the greatest composers in U.S. history, said. His wondrous music still defies categorization.
Emma Lazarus: Overlooked at the Statue of Liberty, But Hardly Forgotten
The 19th-century writer and social activist, a Jewish resident of New York, penned what became a legendary poem symbolizing America’s embrace of immigrants. She was born 176 years ago this month.
Who Was Judah Touro? A Name Etched Into Jewish and American History
Touro’s philanthropy left its mark on Jewish life around the globe, yet, almost paradoxically, few today are familiar with his name.
When Abraham Lincoln Intervened on Behalf of American Jews
U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant ordered the eviction of Jews in southern areas he controlled during the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln reversed the edict of the man he later appointed the Union Army’s commander. Grant went on to become president.
The Heroic Death of a Jewish Union Colonel in the American Civil War
A rare letter describes the death of Jewish Union colonel Marcus M. Spiegel during an ambush by Confederate forces in the Civil War
When “The Hebrew Hammer” Struck Twice on Rosh Hashanah
Ninety years ago, American baseball star Hank Greenberg played on the Jewish New Year holiday, even hitting two home runs, but later sat out Yom Kippur
Theodore Roosevelt Praises Jewish Leader During Kishinev Pogrom Crisis
Simon Wolf was, for decades, the de facto representative of American Jewry. In this early 20th-century document he is praised by President Theodore Roosevelt.
