How presidents have dealt with tides

of anti-Semitism
By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.02.18
Word Count 852
Level 1080L

A police officer walks past the Tree of Life Synagogue and a memorial in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 28, 2018. Flowers
and stars were placed in remembrance of those killed and injured the day before when a shooter opened fire during prayer
services at the synagogue. Photo by AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

In 1958, the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation was attacked. Dynamite exploded inside the
building at 3:38 a.m. on October 12.

Within minutes, the bomber phoned a newspaper reporter to promise it would be "the last empty
building in Atlanta that we will bomb." The bomber declared all Jews and black people to be
"aliens."

It was the seventh time in less than a year that a synagogue in the South had been bombed or
attempted to be bombed.

But it was only the first time President Dwight Eisenhower publicly condemned one of them.

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What Took So Long?

Later that morning, Eisenhower ordered the FBI to assist local police in the investigation. This
investigation quickly led to the arrest of five suspects. He said he believed "we would all share in
the feeling of horror, that any brigand would want to desecrate the holy place of any religion, be it
a chapel, a cathedral, a mosque, a church or a synagogue."

Many, including Martin Luther King Jr., celebrated his actions. Others asked: What took so long?

One New York Post article was critical of Eisenhower's late action. The writer said, "Perhaps the
country might have been spared much of this present nightmare if he had been able to find his
voice — and his FBI reports — when the explosions began many months ago."

Consequences Of Words, Or An Absence Of Them

It's just one example of how what a president says, or doesn't say, in response to anti-Semitism
can have consequences.

Today, President Donald Trump is battling criticism that his words and way of speaking have
encouraged anti-Semitism. Trump is often accused of speaking and writing in ways that cause
division among people.

Some believe his response to Saturday's mass shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue
has been unsatisfactory. The suspected shooter killed 11 synagogue members and injured
several others. Trump condemned the "scourge of anti-Semitism" that "cannot be ignored, cannot
be tolerated and cannot be allowed to continue." The Washington Post's David Nakamura
reported that critics say that Trump has repeatedly fostered suspicion of minorities among his
supporters.

In a tweet Sunday, Trump directed criticism at the media. "The Fake News is doing everything in
their power to blame Republicans, Conservatives and me for the division and hatred that has
been going on for so long in our Country," he tweeted. "Actually, it is their Fake & Dishonest
reporting which is causing problems far greater than they understand!"

American presidents have long been combating anti-Semitism, or failing to do so.

Early Presidents Demonstrated Fellowship

Some of the nation's earliest presidents were the Jews' closest allies. George Washington wrote
to a Jewish community in Rhode Island in 1790. He wrote that the community could find tolerance
and protection from the federal government despite the state's refusal to grant them full rights as
citizens.

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"May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the
good will of the other inhabitants," Washington wrote, "while every one shall sit in safety under his
own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid."

Abraham Lincoln was famously friendly with the Jews. The Jewish publication "Mosaic"
described the relationship as "unusual" for its genuine intimacy. Lincoln condemned anti-
Semitism within his own army during the Civil War. In 1862, Union General Ulysses S. Grant
ordered the removal of all Jews from Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. People incorrectly
thought Jews were responsible for the black market cotton trade. Lincoln immediately revoked
the order. "I do not like to hear a class or nationality condemned on account of a few sinners," he
said.

Hidden Anti-Semitism In Oval Office

But some presidents, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, showed anti-Semitic
opinions.

Roosevelt was publicly against intolerance and violence against the Jews. However, some
historians say that his private statements and his administration's restrictive immigration policies
toward Jews have hurt his legacy.

For example, in a 1943 meeting, a French general in Morocco, a country in northern Africa,
complained about Jews with Roosevelt. Instead of rejecting these beliefs, Roosevelt
sympathized. He proposed that Jews' participation in professions such as law and medicine
should be "definitely limited" to "further eliminate the specific and understandable complaints
which the Germans bore towards the Jews in Germany."

In Nixon's case, tapes revealed him lashing out against Jews in phone conversations. He said
that "the Jews are all over the government" and that there should be fewer in high government
positions.

In one conversation with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, Nixon said, "They turn on you. Am I
wrong or right?" Haldeman said he was right.

Trump Ordered To Denounce White Nationalists

Trump has denied that his words have created division or contributed to anti-Semitism. Trump
said he's planning a trip to Pittsburgh in the wake of the attack. But by early Monday, more than
16,000 people had signed a letter written by 11 leaders of Bend the Arc, a national organization
for progressive Jews. The letter said Trump is not welcome in Pittsburgh until he condemns white
nationalism and stops "targeting" minorities.

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