1. Introduction
2. What was happening in Germany?
3. America’s State at The time of The Crisis in Germany
4. Coming To America: The Policies and Trouble: American Reaction
5. Jewish- Adjusting To A New Culture
Jewish Star:
www.hias.org
In 1938 the world was faced with tragedy and horror. Germany was planning an execution of an ethnic group. Adolph Hitler was leading the Germans. He was feeding off of the embarrassment that Germany felt after World War I (WWI). Hitler believed in a one-race nation and wanted to begin by executing or ridding Germany of all non- blue eyed, blond haired people. He believed in the “pure” Aryan race. The world was slowly becoming aware of the horror that was occurring in Europe. Many were reluctant to open their arms to Germany, and the refugees who were trying to flee. The Jewish population in Europe was the main target. Some have said that Hitler blamed the Jews for the WWI loss and embarrassment the Germany felt. (6 pg. 489) as the dominant nation on the rise, had the opportunity to be the heroes and rescue the Jews from further harm in 1938. It was still “too early to intervene”, was the feeling felt by many in the US since WWI was still so fresh. (6 pg. 389) The policies in America affected many Jews from entering the country. The policies affected the people in the US and how they reacted to the refugee crisis that was about to occur. There were many reasons Americans reacted the way they did, the state of America at the time was not a comfortable stable. America was in her own turmoil at the time economically and socially. Some were still confused and some were even threatened. Newcomers into their society, was scary at the time. When the Jewish did arrive in America more than just success and a new life awaited them, some things good and some things bad. All which led to the story of the Jewish Refugee Crisis that occurred from 1938 on until past the end of the war. I use the word crisis because it was a huge change that uprooted many emotions and changes at a time when things were so unstable in America and the direction of where are country was going. The refugee crisis would prove to be a huge growing point for American culture and history.
Jewish Girl: www.hias.org
What was Going On in Germany?:
The relationship between the Germans and the Jews has a history of controversy
that begins many years before the WWII disaster. The controversy actually
dates back to the Middle Ages. The settlement of Jews in Germany dates
back to the era of Constantine. (2 pg 392) Anti-Semitism was not a new
term that was created during the World War. Anti-Semitism has always been
present; the idea became more apparent from 1914 –1933. This is when the
political anti-Semitism began to take over with their ideas. Political
anti-Semitism had roots throughout all political and powerful positions.
In 1933 when the German National Socialist Party (Nazis) came to power
with Hitler as their leader, the ideas continue to be spread. The next
twelve years, Germany would be plagued with oppression, destruction, hate
and death.
The first act that the Nazis had on their agenda was to eradicate
all, powerful anti-nazis. They used any measures necessary to complete
this task. The Nazi party was moving forward with their plan and
instilling fear in the German people. The second “project” for the Nazis
was to gain racial purity for the German people. (5 pg. 27) The Nazis wanted
to eliminate the Jewish population. With the fear of death, the refugee
crisis would begin. Thousands would try to flee to safer lands. No one
knew of the genocide that would occur and the most disgusting and devastating
part of world history would begin, The Holocaust.
Adolf Hitler
The first Jews in America arrived in 1654. They were a small group of 23 people who had been part of a small settlement from Brazil. (2 pg 356) Between the American revolution and the 1820’s the population continued to grow and expand across the northern part of the US. At the time when WWI broke out the Jewish population had created a comfortable existence in the United States. The US was in a delicate state after WWI and when the WWII crisis began to break out things were still shaky in America. The unemployment rate was up. There seemed to be a nativistic nationalism feeling spreading across the nation. It was “America for the Americans.”(5 pg58) The feeling a prejudice and anti-semitism began to grow rapidly among many groups across the US. All of these feelings contributed to the reaction that many Americans had to the Jewish refugees.
Unemployment:
In the early 1930’s there was a steady rise in unemployment in America. Due to the onset of the depression it was difficult for a American to find employment, it was even more difficult for a newcomer to find employment here as well. Due to the depression the Hoover administration tried to keep immigration entry down by using the interpretation of the Immigration Act of 1917 to keep aliens out who might pose a threat to government funds by being unable to find a job and supply money for themselves. The Roosevelt administration tried to follow the same guidelines but as the crisis in Germany increased there were a rise in immigration cases in the US. In 1935 Roosevelt urged to have the restrictions eased due to the worsening conditions for Jews and others in the Reich. Unfortunately the great increase of Nazi oppression occurred at the same time as the worst phase of the “Roosevelt Recession” occurred in the US and unemployment rates were increasing rapidly. (5 Pg. 5) Through 1938-39 unemployment varied between 8 & 10 million.
Nativistic Nationalism:
The second item that caused problems for immigrants due to the state
of America was the idea of Americanism. There was a pride that included
“100% Americanism”. This seems so ironic since many of the generations
during this time were only first or second generation Americans. They,
immigrants themselves in the few years past, were claiming America was
for Americans. Many wanted to conserve American resources for the Americans.
They feared these immigrants and the intent that they might have coming
to America. Many also feared the threat of their culture. Immigrants brought
in new ideas and new cultural changes. Many feared how this would affect
the upbringing of their children and the future of America, socially. (5
, pg.10)
Anti-Semitism in America:
The idea that “foreigners” were coming to America, fueled the anti-sematic
ideas that already existed. In a country where jobs were scare and money
was even harder to find. The idea of more people was hard to comprehend.
The ideas of hate reached it’s peak in late 1930’s and early 40’s. The
Jews were seen by some, as an undesirable race. There was the argument
that the Jews were behind a huge world-wide conspiracy of communism. Supposedly
the Jews operated and manipulated the capitalist system through their international
finances. (6 pg. 700) Although much of American was unable to grasp
all of these ideas as complete truth, many of the ideas broke off and anti-semitism
was at a new height here in the United States.
American Flag
The United States, unprepared for the number of immigrants that would
try to come to the US, became leaders in a crisis they were not ready to
take on. Thousands of immigrants were applying for Visa before the extermination
began in Germany. America did not handle the situation in a way a country
based on humane standards and democratic values. In the years 1933-1940
thousands of Jews were turned away, who could have been saved, from receiving
visas. The US would lead the rest of the world in a closed-door policy.
Small quotas had been imposed here in the US. The immigration
quotas had been decreased for two-year periods at a time. The decrease
in the quotas made it extremely difficult to gain a Visa into the US> Thousands
after thousands were turned away. Even after the extermination began, gaining
a visa became even more difficult. Not until 1944 did the US begin to take
small steps toward easing American standards and policies on immigration.
Why? One asks, the American public and their ignorance is the
reason for the unproductive immigration laws that were set. People were
still scared of the “foreigners”, many feared another depression. The political
figures knew the voters were watching them, so of course, they did what
the public wanted and that was nothing. Americans were still feeling the
effects of WWI and still were unsure of whether to get involved. Some feared
that letting too many Jewish refugees would cause Germans to come here
and try to “purify” the United States. (1pg. 348) It was so amazing that
a nation based on immigration and fleeing would be so reluctant to help
others do the same.
Eventually the American government made a small step with increasing
the German quota. They adjusted the immigration-quota law, but only by
a small percentage. The German quota was 25,947 per year. (6 pg 567) Roosevelt
took the quota and relaxed the numbers to help with overload of immigration
cases they had to turn away. Roosevelt also called a conference with thirty-two
nations. This would be known as the Evian conference because of its location
in Evian, France. He wanted to address the refugee crisis that was growing
among all of the nations. He asked that the responsibility be spread among
all of the nations not just America. The decision was made, each nation
agreed, the doors were closed on Jewish immigration overload. (3 pg 29)
In 1938 when Kristallnacht occurred, and the pressure to
leave Germany was more intense than ever, the doors still remained closed.
More and more pressure was being felt by Roosevelt. He was unsure of which
stance to take in the political situation. (2 pg. 189) With the camps becoming
more and more of public knowledge, many Americans began to worry about
the children. A legislation was proposed to allow 20,000 extra Visa for
children only. This was known as the Wagner-Rogers Children Bill. The bill
was denied. Anti-Semitism was the defeat. Even with the St. Louis episode,
where a steamship carrying 900 Jews sailed along the coast of Florida and
by Cuba was denied a landing. For one week the ship sailed around those
waters pleading with the two governments for entrance into their countries.
Neither country would let the ship land. The ship was returned back to
Europe.
Another blow to immigration policy was the scandal of the State
Department. Many Americans expressed concern of Germans posing as Jewish
refugees and trying to establish themselves in the US for a takeover. The
State Department took these exaggerated thoughts and used this to cut their
quotas in half again. The State Department seemed to have an anti-immigration,
anti-sematic, and anti-alien attitude towards immigration. Breckinridge
Long was appointed Assistant Secretary and with him he carried anti- alien
attitude. (5pg. 134) He did keep the President informed of his policies,
but he always stressed it was for the betterment of America. He even at
one point instructed the immigration consuls to make it very difficult
to gain a Visa with “obstacles.”
As the war came to end, finally after scandal and disapproval,
Roosevelt established the War Refugee board. The board received very little
help from the government. Most of the help came from American-Jewish organizations.
The war refugee played a part in saving approximately 200,000 Jews and
20,000 non-Jews. (6 pg. 706)
America is a great country. No one can deny that. But we do have
to admit that our past leaders and public could have helped many Jewish
people. Our nation turned against a group of people in need and the result
was that millions of people died. No one believes that America could have
saved them all, but we could have been more open-mind to the situation
and refused the closed-door policy. We all immigrated from somewhere.
Jewish Group: www.hias.org
Jewish- Adjusting To A New Life:
The American dream is what many Americans strive for. That dream is
what most immigrants try to attain as well. Many of the Jews who left Europe
wanted a better life. The ones who were lucky to gain a Visa had a dream
to get a new life and re-establish themselves in a community. Many were
unprepared for some of the problems that they would face, such as economic
turmoil and once again, anti-semitism. But even with all of the obstacles
the Jewish immigrants were able to overcome them and evolve into a strong
middle-class group.
The Jews entering the mainstream wanted a better life for them
and future generations. They had the drive and desire to succeed. They
had already surpassed the largest battle, living and getting a Visa to
America. Now the rest should be easy. In the first few years, the new wave
of immigrants were plagued with economic hardships. The economy was slow
and the Jewish groups were discriminated against in the workforce. With
this difficult obstacle, many Jews entered the workforce and pushed hard
to move up in the ladder. ( 2 pg 164 )Many Jews eventually bought their
own companies and hired other Jews to help them succeed as well. Soon the
Jewish community was alive and moving into suburb areas. This was a great
statement made. They were hardworkers that were willing to sacrifice to
make it in the end.
Not only was the economy a challenge but cultural America was a challenge
too. Many new Jewish immigrants were caught between whether to adopt the
new values or maintain their old. They were trying to find a medium between
the traditional values and the cultural that they were now part of. (3
pg 123) Many adapted by combining the two cultures and using what worked
best for them. Many families still maintained strong Jewish faith and tradition
but also adopted some of the new and everchanging culture of America.
Anti- Semitism was still a problem after WWII. Many Americans
still felt that the Jews were the cause of a lot of our problems such as
WWI and WWII. People had adopted their viewpoints from bits and pieces
of information and things that anti-semitics placed as their propaganda.
The Jewish used this as an advantage to prove they were here to work together
and become part of the American dream. (2 pg 298) When many politicians
and powerful people were spreading their ideas anti-semitism peaked in
1944. Soon after, when the wave of immigrants continued to filter into
America, the hate began to fade. There seemed to be a slow decline in the
hate that would continue to decrease. The anti-semtic ideas seemed to occur
during hard economic times. After WWII things began to pick up again and
America had other things to focus on.
Jewish Family: www.hias.org
Paul Victor is a Holocaust survivor. He is 79 years old and lives in
Pasadena, CA. I was able to get in contact with him through an Holocaust
Survivors web page. He survived the Buchenwald camp and came to America
at 24 years old. He made a good life for himself here and is very thankful
to be alive. He eventually became the Vice-President of MENSA and the Vice-President
for marketing for Caterpillar Tractor Organization. He speaks to students
through e-mail to help keep the history alive and to make sure nothing
like this ever happens again.
What did you expect when you arrived in America?
1) I was liberated from the Buchenwald camp in April 1945 when I was
23 years old. The first U.S. Consulate in Germany after the war did
not open until early 1946. This gave me plenty of time to
familiarize myself about what to expect. I already knew that there
had been many disagreements among Americans about the holocaust and
whether to enter the war in Europe. Even the famous aviator, Charles
Lindbergh, gave a speech in which he blamed the war on the Jews (who
had actually been Hitler's victims). He also opposed any
participation in the war, saying that America should not be
concerned with something that was happening in far away lands. So,
I
knew that Americans were not all in favor of intervention. Luckily,
there was Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the helm, and America
eventually became the savior of Germany and all the occupied
European countries. My expectations were almost all positive. I had
read much about the U.S. and could not wait to get here.
How were you treated when you came to the United States?
2) The African-American customs inspector at the pier in New York
had me close my suitcase after inspection and said "Welcome to
America. Take it easy!" I did indeed feel welcome. Everything that
happened to me thereafter would affirm all my positive expectations.
How were treated in school and in the workforce?
3) I had gone to school in Germany and Switzerland. Once here, I
immediately went to work. From 1946 until I retired at age 78, I
never missed a day of work. I did not go to school at all.
Did you ever receive negative treatment from the United States?
4) I must say that I never encountered any negative treatment when
people knew who I was and where I came from. As I had expected, I
was treated everywhere the same as if I had been born here.
How do you feel about anti-semitism?
5) As you surely know, you can find here bigots, anti-semites and
other lost souls. But in general, I found that the promise of
America for me was certainly fulfilled. I am in favor of "Live and
let live", and I believe the majority of Americans are too. I myself
am color-blind (i.e. have no prejudices). My friends are of various
colors, persuasions and politics. Having been through that period in
Germany when anti-semitism was preached daily, I have found that it
is not an issue in this country, in that there are no more
anti-semites than those who hate other other religions and
nationalities.
How did you survive?
6) In the camp I survived through luck and a good head on my
shoulders. In this country, there was no question of survival,
because you had the opportunity to fashion your own destiny if you
worked for it - and I have. This little immigrant eventually became
the Vice-Chairman of MENSA, the high-IQ Society, and a
Vice-President of Marketing in the Caterpillar Tractor organization.
Today, at age 79, I go each workday to the Superior Court in
Pasadena, California to volunteer for a few hours as Juror Docent,
I
also work with the local Crippled Children Society and, as you know,
I help students by e-mail with their school work about WWII and the
holocaust (so far 31 of them).
Holocaust Memorial Center
Since the rush of immigrants during the end of the war and after the Jewish community has adapted and entered American life quite nicely. They have established themselves as one of the largest groups of immigrants to enter the United States. (3 pg 194) They have made large successful strides for their group as whole. They have established upstanding communities and groups. They have built synagogues in their communities and adapted and meshed with the groups of people around them. There are many successful Jewish people in each and every aspect of the United States today. The Jewish community has overcome hatred and destruction and survived. There is only a small number of Holocaust survivors today. The ones who are alive still are always trying to educate and talk about what happened in those horrible years. They want to be sure this never happens again and to keep history alive.
