American Jews Quotes
He and almost all of the Jews in Germany were expected to act like Germans. There was no room for maintaining and developing their own ethnic customs and traditions. When he arrived at New York, he was treated as a great celebrity by Mayor La Guardia, who was fluent in Yiddish, and other dignitaries some of whom were Jews and even met President Warren G. Harding. He lectured at City College and for the first time in his life saw Jews who had any distinguishing culture and customs—and the informality, egalitarianism, gregarious, free speaking, fun loving was just the opposite of the norms that he had grown up with in Germany which he did not like. See {640911}. He would later become a part of that culture and be seen as a leader, even being offered the Presidency of the new state of Israel in 1949.
This was true in 1936 for almost all Jewish immigrants. Reform Judaism was actually started and developed in the United States to blend the Jewish assimilation to modern America with the philosophy and values of Judaism. Most American Jews gravitated to the Reform communities and synagogues. However starting in the 1950’s there were some ultra-orthodox Jewish groups who began to preach against assimilation. To them, the greatness of America was that they did not have to Assimilate. Like the Amish and a few other religious groups they could maintain their oldest traditions and be protected and tolerated by America. These were and are a minority of Jewish Americans. However in the late 20th century many orthodox and the “Conservative Branch” of Judaism in America began to be concerned that the result of Jewish assail;ration and the reduction of anti-Semitism was an increase in religious intermarriage of American Jews. They worried that the Jewish community will diminish over time to a much smaller minority. So they have instituted programs to limit Jewish assimilation to diminish intern,marriage. The majority of Jews however continue as Goldie Corash Michelson descriptor in 1936.
Jews at the time in France has heard of the happiness and success of the many Jewish immigrants who came to America and it became the “gold standard” of an environment in which Jews can exist without discrimination.
