One Hundred Years of Jewish History and Still Counting

Rosh Hashana Fri, Sep 18, 1925, 1-2 Tishrei 5686

It is so hard to believe that Atlanta Jewish Times, originally known as The Southern Israelite, LLC has been serving this community for going on 100-years. I am so honored to be a part of such a vibrating and growing city that has an appreciation for Jewish diversity.

Unfortunately, it seems that our evolution as a people is digressing back in time. Antisemitic instances are growing at an unbelievable rate and the aggression in mobs against Jewish members of the community have become more hateful.

The nativist “anti-undesirable” immigrant factions which had become influential, particularly in the Democratic party before World War I, strengthened because of the Socialist/Communist upheavals in Europe which followed the war.

Bolshevism or International Communism, linked in the public mind to Eastern European Jews, was regarded as an imminent threat to the American way of life. The racist theories that became widely accepted were those promoted by the 1916 Madison Grant book, which glorified Northern European races as opposed to Southern Europeans (particularly Italians), Eastern European Slavs and Jews, and all Asians.

The legislative products of this racism were the Immigration Restriction Acts of 1921 and 1924. Under the 1924 act, total immigration into the U.S. was limited to 165,000 per year, of which 131,000 were allowed to enter from Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, and Scandinavia. The quota from Italy was 3,845 per year, compared to about 200,000 immigrants per year from Italy in the years 1900-1910. The quotas from East Europe and Asia were minimal. The quotas were strictly applied to Jews throughout the 1930s and even during World War II, when Jews attempting to escape Europe were literally turned away.

In 1930, the population of Jews in the U.S. was about 5 million, of which about 2.3 million were in the New York City area. During the 1920s and 1930s, strict (although informal) internal quotas on Jews were applied to admission to universities, medical and law schools, employment in large corporations and law firms, and the purchase of homes in “restricted” areas.

The result was the establishment of “Jewish” law firms, medical and dental practices, investment banks, brokerage houses, real estate agents, resort hotels, and (of course) country clubs. Following World War II, the formal immigration quotas were eliminated, and the informal internal quotas were gradually relaxed.

Across the world and in Israel our safety is becoming dangerously low. I believe we are strong people that can overcome these challenges but now is the time to act. Get involved with building better partnerships with communities and organizations that will stand with us and help to raise the safety of our children and families.

Kaylene Ladinsky is the Editor and Managing Publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times and President of Southern Israelite, LLC.

History Reference: www.templeisaiah.net/resources/timelines-jewish-history-1000-bce-1925-ce