The Jewish Trail of Tears The Evian Conference of ... - Haruth.com

Jews. The patriotic organizations sure won’t object to this one. It should make things a
hell of a lot easier.” 96
Finally, Haskel Lookstein has argued that “divisiveness” in the American Jewish
community and reticence to respond “to the indifference of America” out of fear of
generating increased anti-Semitism and more restrictive immigration laws led many
American Jews to assume the role of “bystander” to the inherent dangers of the German
anti-Nazi policies. Such hesitancy was evident during the course of the Evian
Conference and in later attempts to admit Jewish refugees. A clear division existed
between Jews who believed rescue depended upon adopting a more public and vocal
stance and strategy and those who maintained that back room diplomacy and political
maneuvering was the only realistic tactic for Jews to follow. For example, the American
Jewish committee maintained a low profile during the Congressional hearings on the
Wagner-Rogers bill. The Congress Bulletin of the American Jewish Congress noted that
Jews needed to observe “a great deal of necessary caution” while the hearings were
underway but this “cautious restraint” could be eased once the bill left committee.
However, a forceful campaign was not mounted by the Jewish leaders and community
out of fear of inciting calls for greater immigration restrictions. This lack of significant
visible Jewish support for their co-religionists was used by nativist adversaries of the bill
(and others who were against any increased immigration) as justification for opposition. 97
96 Carl L. Steinhouse, Barred: The Shameful Refusal of FDR’s State Department to Save Tens of
Thousands of Europe’s Jews from Extermination (Bloomington, IN: Author House, 2007), 18-20, 69-70
97 Haskel Lookstein, Were We Our Brother’s Keepers? The Public Response of American Jews to the
Holocaust 1938-1944 (NY: Hartmore House, 1985), 22, 183.
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