In 1862, in the only instance of a Jewish expulsion in America,
General Ulysses S. Grant banished Jewish citizens from the region
under his military command. Although the order was quickly revoked
by President Lincoln, it represented growing anti-Semitism in
America. Convinced that assimilation was their best defense, Jews
sought to Americanize by shedding distinctive dress, occupations,
and religious rituals.
American Jews recognized the benefit and urgency of bridging the
divide between Reform and Orthodox Judaism to create a stronger
alliance to face the challenges ahead. With Grant's 1868
presidential campaign, they also realized they could no longer
remain aloof from partisan politics. As they became a growing
influence in American politics, both political parties courted the
new Jewish vote.
Once in office, Grant took notice of the persecution of Jews in
Romania and Russia, and he appointed more Jews to office than any
president before him. Indeed, Simon Wolf, a Washington lawyer who
became one of Grant's closest advisers, was part of a new
generation of Jewish leaders to emerge in the post-Civil War
era--thoroughly Americanized, politically mature, and committed to
the modernized Judaism of the Reform movement.In "Politics, Faith,
and the Making of American Judaism," Peter Adams recounts the
history of the American Jewish Community's assimilation efforts,
organization, and political mobilization in the late 19th century,
as political and cultural imperatives crafted a new, American brand
of Judaism.
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