Download Antisemitism in American History: A Recurring Issue and more Lecture notes History in PDF only on Docsity!
Sydney Handler Antisemitism Throughout American History Antisemitism has been an ongoing issue not only in Europe, where it appears to occur the most, but throughout the entire world, including the United States. Many people believe
antisemitism is no longer an issue in America and has never been a very important one. Although it may not seem as prominent of an issue throughout American history, antisemitism has been a
recurring issue that has existed in America since the beginning of its time. Antisemitism, by definition, is hostility and hate towards Jewish people. Anti semites handle their hatred towards
Jews by denying them the right to do something or see something that is opened to the general public. There have also been times throughout history where anti semites have taken their hatred
on Jews out through acts of aggression and violence. This recurring issue distinctly goes against the U.S. Constitution which states that all men are created equal, because a race of people are
being treated unfairly as though they are not equals to everyone else in the country.
Source: Frederick Oper, “The ‘New Transatlantic Hebrew Line,’” Puck (magazine), 1881. The political cartoon that was published in Puck magazine in 1881 displays many people crammed together on a ship that is bringing them to America. These people are clearly Jewish
people based off of their exaggerated stereotypical features. Additionally, there is Hebrew writing on the side of the ship, identifying that the people are Jewish. The sarcastic caption at the
bottom, “For the Exclusive Use of ‘The Persecuted,’” is identifying Jews as having been persecuted in their former country, propelling them to immigrate to America. The bird and the
fish in the cartoon are also being grouped into this title of “the persecuted” based off of their facial expressions and the fact that they’re heading in the same direction the ship is going. The
similarities between the Jewish people and the bird and the fish are a symbol to show how the
a rolled paper that refers to an industry. This man is watching the lineup of Jewish people leave Russia in the east to go to the west towards New York, which is being disguised as New
Jerusalem. The man in the middle is meant to represent Russia, since the country was kicking Jews out and sending them to New York. They told the Jews that they were being sent to their
homeland of Jerusalem, but they were really being sent to New York. The little bubble on the right highlights Jews leaving a man with a whipping device, to show how cruel Russia was to the
Jews as they were being sent away. The city street in the back is showing a street in New York City that was filled with shops. These shops all have Jewish names on it to show how once Jews
came to New York from Russia, they prospered and began to own many shops and start new businesses. The little bubble on the left illustrates how the Dutch were basically taken over by
the Jews and had to migrate to the west in order to find new places to own businesses since the Jews had taken their profits. This cartoon is basically showing how Jews came to America as a
way to escape antisemitism. Little did they know that although they began to thrive when they first came to America, they would soon face antisemitism later in history.
Source: Watson Heston, “History Repeats Itself,” Sound Money (magazine), 1896. This political cartoon from Sound Money magazine in 1896 is showing how Americans thought it would be dangerous to give Jewish people roles in government. It illustrates how
people thought Jews would control the government from behind the scenes. This is represented by the two people (that are clearly Jews based off of their exaggerated stereotypical features)
who are shoving the sponge and spear into the man standing on the crucifix. These men are labeled as “Wall St. Pirates.” Under the Jew on the left side of the picture that is holding the
sponge is a quote from the New Testament that says “And they took a sponge” to describe how this action of taking a sponge to a person's face/mouth, is one that comes from the New
Testament. The man on the crucifix in the middle of the cartoon is representing the United States’
abuse Congress. It would also leave the parties penniless and in desperate need to steal gold and silver from the government. This cartoon illustrates how soon after Jews began to prosper in
America as a way of overcoming antisemitism, they began to face new forms of hatred when non-Jewish Americans would not allow them to be a part of the United States government.
Source: American White Guard in California, The Project Gutenberg EBook of Secret Armies, 1935. This image is of an ant-semitic, anti-Roosevelt handbill that was issued by the American
White Guard in California sometime around the 1930s/40s. This handbill is sending the message that Jews are dangerous and bad for the United States. It’s saying that Jews should be eliminated
and taken out of positions in public office, and also that Jews should be dominated by the Work Progress Administration (WPA) and State Relief Administration (SRA). The people of the
American White Guard in California that distributed this handbill believed that Jews were a
danger to the American government and could harm the American people’s trust in their country. The line at the top of the the handbill, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upbharon” is translated to
“Numbered, Numbered, Weighed, Divided.” This line was taken from the Bible and is used as a reference to say that God has doomed the Jewish people. Although America was not believed to
be apart of the antisemitism that occurred during the holocaust, this handbill came from the American White Guard in California during the time of the Holocaust.
Source: WXYZ- TV, 2015. This picture shows a billboard that was put up in the city of Detroit in 2015. It was put up
in honor to remember Deir Yassin, an incident that that occurred in 1948 in the Arab village of Deir Yassin on the westside of Jerusalem. The village was attacked by over 100 soldiers from the
Zionist paramilitary. This sign is says “America First Not Israel” which brings up the issue of
Many people in the twenty-first century believe antisemitism has never been a big issue that America has had faced, yet antisemitism has been a hot topic in American history for
centuries. The issue was reborn into American history during the Reconstruction Era and has continued to be a massive problem in the country since that time. From hateful comments, to
threatening acts, Jewish people have been persecuted in America for years due to their religion. American Jews have learned to rise above the hatred and thrive in America as proud Americans
that are also proud Jews.
