FDR and the Jews

FDR and The Jews by Richard Breitman/Allan J. Lichtman

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Much of contemporary history writing combines the worst of moral posturing and Monday Morning Quarterbacking. Historical figures are hectored for failing to live up to the expectations of writers decades later who have no responsibility for balancing a plethora of ends to limited means. These critics adopt the fulsome tones of moral outrage in condemning the historical figure for not abandoning everything to the particular concern the critic has. Pope Pius XII is an example of such a target.

A lesson of history is that people in the past are amazingly like us. They are not callous monsters. They care about the things we care about. They are not Gods. They have to make difficult decisions. Books that miss this point are not really books of history, but books of moral apologetics.

This book is a book of history. The authors maintain an even-hand in discussing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's relationship with American and international Jews. They offer a definite insight into the political issues that tied a most political president. I was often amazed at how much they were willing to excuse or justify with respect to Roosevelt's policies that would have gotten Pope Pius XII branded “Hitler's Pope.”

Throughout his political career, Roosevelt had substantial but not total Jewish support. He may have had deeply ingrained Patrician American cultural attitudes about the Jews (as he had about Catholics) but he also had close personal relationships with Jews that speak against the claim that he was an antisemite.

One interesting turn of events is that FDR's run for governor of New York in 1928 was against a Jewish Republican candidate. FDR may have been helped in securing the nomination because of Jewish fears that having a Catholic ( Al Smith was running for president) and a Jew on the same ticket was unwise in that it could provoke antisemitism and Jews were concerned at splitting the Jewish vote by having two Jews run for the same office. Nonetheless, the Republican party was the Protestant party and, shades of today, the Republican Jewish candidate, Albert Ottinger, was accused of covering up the antisemitism of Republicans.

The authors often explain FDR's “Jewish decisions” based on political constraints that particularly involve Jewish fears that some pro-Jewish policy will provoke antisemitism. (This was also a theme in “The Collaboration” where Jews in Hollywood often spiked anti-Nazi/pro-Jewish themes in movies out of fear that it would intensify antisemitism in America or Germany.)

The authors divide FDR's Jewish policies into four periods based on his terms of office. During the first period, FDR was dealing with depression. At the same time, the Nazi repression of Jews in Germany was ramping up. While FDR and his advisors generally favored loosening Jewish immigration, their concern was that implementing pro-Jewish immigration policies would increase antisemitism against native Jews, and, in fact, there was an upsurge of pro-Nazi organizations during this period. (See p. 26-27.) This last fact should not be overstated, however, since the membership of such organizations remained small; America had a low level antisemitic fever, at worst.

During this period, FDR did litle to assist the Jews of Germany or to speak out against Nazi persecutions. The authors believe that FDR could have spoken out against Nazi antisemitism but chose not to get distracted from his mission of dealing with the Depression. (Was this wrong? Would Americans have wondered why the President was more concerned with the fate of foreigners than his own people? Could this have turned public opinion against FDR such that there would have been no third term? We don't know, obviously.)

After his landslide re-election, FDR did become more engaged in helping Jews by loosening quotas and backing settlement in foreign countries. FDR's efforts to loosen immigration regulations in favor of Jews was often stymied by the professional bureaucrats in the State Department. (Shades of the Deep State even then.) Likewise, FDR did not throw his weight behind a bill to open up more immigration slots for Jewish child refugees because he was dealing with the Neutrality Bill. FDR was a pragmatic politician and chose his fights.

Interesting facts emerge in the author's discussions. The 1932 election was decisive. Democrats picked up a majority of Black votes for the first time in history and not a single Jewish Republican remained in office. (p. 85.) 1936 ratified the realignment as Blacks voted for Democrats as a majority again, and 3/4s of Jews and Catholics voted for Democrats. (p. 94.)

The third term saw the beginning of World War II. In general, FDR's focus became winning a military victory. Military resources were not diverted to disrupting the Holocaust. FDR's military leaders advised against such diversions on the grounds that it would delay or risk overall victory over Germany and that the Jews's best hope of survival lay with the earliest defeat of Nazi Germany as could be reasonably managed. The authors note that FDR probably never engaged with such tactical decisions, that Jewish organizations at the time were silent on such issues, and that such diversions would have been ineffective since Nazis could have returned to their former practice of mass shootings.

The final FDR policy was still developing and seemed to back Jewish national ambitions.

Readers of this book will definitely pick up on the contingencies and limitations of history. Jews were not monolithic in their policy positions. Prior to the Holocaust, there were many anti-zionist Jews. Jewish organizations split on various issues. Jews were often the strongest counselors of restraint on the fear that more aggressive pro-Jewish policies would spark an antisemitic backlash.

This book is a very good survey of the period and the subject. Names and facts are thrown at the reader with energy. Following the narrative is sometimes difficult because of the great attention to detail. It probably deserves a re-reading and a place on the bookshelf as a resource whenever the subject of American Jewish policy during the Roosevelt administration comes up. I can well imagine that people looking for the satisfaction of finding another moral monster to despise will be disappointed; it appears that FDR was a human being who had to weigh uncertainties and make the best decision he could with what he knew.