Teddy Roosevelt and the Jews

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Saturday, July 1, 2006

A friend of mine took a new position as the rabbi of a historic congregation in Philadelphia. Going through the building, he noticed that one of their largest stained glass windows was dedicated to the memory of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. He was surprised. Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt might be more easily understood. Though today many are critical of FDR's failure to bomb the death camps and the rail lines leading to the camps during the Holocaust, for Jews like my grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and World Was II, FDR was an almost Moses like figure, viewed as a great friend of the Jewish community. But the window dedicated in 1919 was a memorial to Teddy Roosevelt and so raises the question: Why would a Reform congregation feel so close to this particular president?

Fortunately my friend Rabbi Lance Sussman also has a PhD in American Jewish history and was well equipped to solve this mystery. This being July 4th weekend, a good time for Americana, and since Teddy Roosevelt recently made the front cover of a popular news weekly magazine recently, I thought I would share with you some of what my friend learned.

Teddy Roosevelt's relations with the Jewish community began when he was president of the New York City's Board of Police Commissioners. In that role he opened the police department to Jews and incidentally also to women. During that time, he became involved in an incident, that almost sounds like an old Jewish joke. First, the old Jewish joke: a very genteel Southern woman calls the local army base offering hospitality for dinner to some of the local soldiers, but she says, "Please don't send any Jewish soldiers. I can't abide that type." That evening when a platoon of African American soldiers arrive at her door for dinner, she says, "Excuse me but there must be some mistake". The soldiers respond: "We don't think so. Sergeant Levine, doesn't make any mistakes."

Now back to the true story. In 1895 a well known anti-Semitic speaker from Germany, Pastor Herman Ahlwardt was scheduled to speak in New York City. The Jewish community was alarmed and asked Roosevelt to prevent him from speaking. Meanwhile in his role as head of the police commissioners he was asked to provide protection to the speaker. What did he do? He appointed a Jewish sergeant and asked him to recruit 30-40 Jewish police officers to provide protection. Listen to this description of the event: "The silence was ominous. The speaker was ill at ease. He could not hold, much less influence, his audience. The much advertised propaganda against the Jews came to an ignominious end that very night. Ahlwardt disappeared and was heard of no more."

Roosevelt also showed warm ties to the Jewish community during his service with the First U.S. Volunteer Regiment in Cuba. About 5,000 American Jewish soldiers served in Cuba and 15 Jewish Rough Riders were killed or wounded in the attack on San Juan Hill. At one point there was a Jewish service in Cuba, lead by the rabbi at the time of Congregation Knesset Israel of Philadelphia, my friend's congregation. Teddy Roosevelt came with his soldiers and spoke with the rabbi developing a relationship that would continue over the years.

Most significant was Teddy Roosevelt's work as president on behalf of the Jews of Czarist Russia. He spoke out forcefully at the time of the pogroms and expressed America's displeasure in meaningful way. In resolving the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt worked on behalf of the many Jews conscripted into the Czar's army. When he won a Nobel prize for his role in bringing this conflict to an end, he donated 10% of the money to Jewish causes. During these efforts Roosevelt worked with Oscar Strauss, who he later appointed Secretary of Commerce, the first Jew to serve at the cabinet level. Following his presidency Roosevelt was a strong supporter of the Balfour declaration siding with his Democratic opponent Woodrow Wilson on this issue.

The sweetest story about Roosevelt and the Jews goes back to the early years of his presidency. In 1902 there was a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. Roosevelt went down as president to investigate and to calm the situation and since he was an enthusiastic hunter, the locals took him out on a bear hunt. When after 5 days no one had succeeded in shooting a bear, one of the men captured a cub and tied it to a tree, suggesting that the president get his shoot in this way. Roosevelt said that was un-sportsman like and refused to shoot the cub . The story spread throughout the country.

Now for the Jewish angle. Morris and Rose Michtom, were Eastern European Jewish immigrants who had arrived in New York in 1887 and ended up in the toy business. Rose, hearing this story, sewed a bear doll, called it Teddy, and put it in her shop window. When she saw what a success it would be, she sent the original to Roosevelt and asked his permission to use his name. He agreed, and as we all know, the name caught on. In 1904 the Republicans used the Teddy Bear as their symbol in a successful campaign to reelect Roosevelt.

As a fighter for justice and against corruption Roosevelt won the minds of the American Jewish public, and in his association with issues of special concern to the Jewish community, he won our hearts as well. As we tuck our children in with their Teddy bears tonight, we will remember the "old lion" and be thankful for his role in reinvigorating American democracy.