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April 18, 2008
A visit to eastern America
Jewish connections can be found in the most unlikely places.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
"It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support."
So reads part of a letter to the Hebrew congregation on Newport, R.I., written in August 1790 by President George Washington. A reproduction of the document is sold at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. (www.ushmm.org). There, among many offerings, you can also pick up a fridge magnet that has pastor Martin Niemöller's infamous quotation, "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me."
These are the types of items that I collected on a five-week trip to the eastern United States, which I spent mainly in New York, with two smaller trips: to Washington and Virginia. History has always fascinated me and the region is rife with paeans to the American experience. While the Jewish community may only represent less than two per cent of the country's population nowadays – and even less in earlier years – its influence has been immense and one can find Jewish-related exhibits, memorials, references and associations almost anywhere.
Of course, there are the obvious places, such as the U.S. Holocaust museum, which is a must-see for everyone, not only Jews. It focuses on education, remembrance and conscience, in an effort to prevent genocide from occurring, so there is a broad mandate, which also highlights Rwanda and Sudan. The museum's three-floor permanent exhibit traces the rise of Nazism from 1933 to its aftermath, and gives a generous amount of space to the righteous gentiles and countries that tried to slow Adolph Hitler's extermination of the Jews. Other displays include Daniel's Story, the history of the Holocaust from a child's perspective, and the Wall of Remembrance, comprised of more than 3,000 tiles painted by American students and dedicated to the memory of the 1.5 million children who were murdered by the Nazis.
I was in Washington for only three days, but managed to visit a few Smithsonian museums (www.si.edu/museums), including the National Portrait Gallery. If I had been staying longer, I would have seen the gallery's exhibits of the photography of Zaida Ben-Yusuf, who was a member of Alfred Stieglitz's circle, and Edward Steichen, whose subjects included George Gershwin, among many others. Both exhibits started this month and run until Sept. 1.
Walking around the National Mall area in Washington, which is anchored on one end by the Lincoln Memorial and at the other by the Capitol Building, is an extravagance. Among grassland and reflecting pools, historic government and museum buildings and numerous monuments and memorials, you can stroll for miles without banging up against fellow tourists. Every now and again, the peaceful and beautiful atmosphere is broken by the drumbeats of protesters or their signage. One of the three demonstrations that I witnessed was against circumcision; it spread out over the lawn of the Capitol, but only had two people manning its posts.
Across the Potomac River, in Arlington Cemetery, there is a new memorial, dedicated to marines of all wars who have died. The United States Marine Corps War Memorial was created by Felix de Weldon, based on the photo taken by Joseph J. Rosenthal on Feb. 23, 1945, atop Mt. Surabachi, Iwo Jima. Rosenthal was born Jewish, but converted to Catholicism.
Also in Virginia, on the grounds of Monticello, President Thomas Jefferson's home, I almost literally stumbled across the grave of Rachel Phillips Levy (1769-1839). Her son purchased Monticello in 1836 and, because of his great admiration for Jefferson, bequeathed it to the "People of the United States." The American government gave up its claim to the estate, but, in 1879, Commodore Uriah Levy's nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy, gained title to it and made numerous repairs to the property, as well as adding land from the original Monticello tract, after which he sold the property to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation in 1923. The Levys' efforts preserved one of the United States' most precious historic sites.
In New York, of course, there are countless Jewish-related connections. Expected encounters occur at places like the Museum of Jewish Heritage (www.mjhnyc.org), which is situated near Battery Park and boasts a view of the Statue of Liberty. It describes itself as a "living memorial to those who perished during the Holocaust" and, as at the D.C. museum, the N.Y. museum includes oral testimony, historical objects, archival films and documentaries and also offers musical and theatrical performances, as well as lectures and other events.
At the Jewish Museum (www.jewishmuseum.org), I saw an exhibit of the work of William Steig, creator of Shrek and several children's books, who also drew cartoons for The New Yorker – currently showing at the museum is Warhol's Jews: Ten Portraits Reconsidered, which runs until Aug. 3.
At the Tenement Museum (www.tenement.org), I visited the 1870s apartment of the German-Jewish Gumpertz family. If time permitted, I also would have taken one of the other tours/lectures being offered, such as that of the apartment/garment shop run by the parents of Max Levine, who was born in 1897. The vision of a family living in two-and-a-half small rooms (plus an extended family and/or a tailoring or other business) without electricity or plumbing remains with me – with a bar located on the basement level, a tenant would have been risking their life if they went to the outhouse at night.
While on a tour of the United Nations (www.un.org/tours), I was somewhat surprised at how prominently memories of the Holocaust were featured, in murals, posters and various educational displays. Other unusual places that I encountered Jewish history were at the Algonquin Hotel, site of the Algonquin Round Table of the 1920s, where notable literary or performing artists gathered daily over lunch, and where regulars included Harold Ross of The New Yorker and Gertrude Stein. At the Samuel Fraunces Tavern Museum (www.frauncestavernmuseum.org), where Gen. George Washington bade farewell to his officers at a banquet on Dec. 4 1783, during the American Revolutionary War, I happened upon a booklet about the museum's exhibit on the Jewish Community in Early New York, 1654-1800, which featured portraits, documents, religious objects and other historical objects. At the New York Public Library (www.nypl.org), where my mother did some genealogical research, we walked in to find a room full of Jack Kerouac's writings and his history, including his friendship with other Beat Generation writers, such as Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs.
Also while my mother was visiting, we trekked to the Brooklyn Museum (www.brooklynmuseum.org) to see the semi-permanent exhibit of Jewish artist Judy Chicago's 1970s feminist art icon "The Dinner Party," which comprises three tables forming a triangle with 39 place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The Brooklyn Museum is an underappreciated treasure. But for several school field trips, it was almost empty as we went through it.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Brooklyn Museum and of the Smithsonian's portraiture gallery is that they both have thousands of pieces of art in visible storage, thanks to the Luce Foundation Centre for American Art (americanart.si.edu/luce). In Brooklyn's Luce facility, there was a display of photographs called Goodbye Coney Island?, which led me to visit the island. Wandering the boardwalk there, an Orthodox family and their children were also enjoying the sun, before heading into the New York Aquarium.
Admittedly, I'm more inclined to explore and seek out historical tidbits and Jewish connections when I'm travelling. However, having been in that mode for more than a month, I'll be on the look out for such things in Vancouver. No doubt, there's plenty to find.
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