Abraham Lincoln and the jews

[JohnfracasseZOG]

According to Tina Levitan’s extraordinary book, “First Facts in American Jewish History,” around 1861, “…a flag with Hebrew lettering was presented to President Abraham Lincoln.”

Accordingly, many historians claim that Lincoln had many Jewish associates, advisors and supporters.

The “Know Nothing Party”

On July 21, 1860, Lincoln wrote a letter to one of his friends, Abraham Jonas of Quincy of Illinios, expressing his anger at racists, bigots and anti-Semites.

At one time, Jonas served with Lincoln in the Illinois State Legislature.

In the letter, Lincoln reacted to a particular legislator whom he considered a “stupid, classic anti-Semite.” Lincoln called this legislator’s party the “Know Nothing Party.”

Angered by some of the things this “Know Nothing Party” said about Catholics, Negroes, and Jews, Lincoln wrote, “Rather than live under the hypocrisy of American bigotry, I would prefer to live under open tyranny in a country such as Czarist Russia!”

When word of Lincoln’s words reached the public, he won warm support from large numbers of American Jews.

Lincoln’s Strong Jewish Support

At that time, Lincoln won a good deal of support from influential Jewish political figures and Jewish leaders.

Among the delegates to the 1860 Republican National Convention was a Jew, Lewis Dembitz of Louisville, KY. Since Lewis Dembitz was designated as a “Lincoln delegate,” it was Dembitz who was the first delegate to vote for Lincoln’s nomination as President of the United States.

The Jewish Vote

At the same time there was another Jew Sigmund Kaufmann, from New York City. Kaufmann was the publisher of German language newspapers in New York City. He admired Lincoln and it was through his efforts that he literally delivered the entire liberal German immigrant vote to Lincoln in 1860. That vote was heavily Jewish.

Another political supporter of Lincoln was Moses Aaron Dropsie from the wealthy and prominent Dropsie family who founded the “Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning” a half a century later.

Lincoln’s concern for Jews was reflected on the international scene as well as in America. When he took office, he was the first President to appoint a Jew as U.S. Consul in Zurich, Switzerland. This was the first time a Jew had been assigned to a European post.

Lincoln Sets a Precedent

Lincoln was the first and only president who revoked an official act of anti-Semitism that involved the United States government.

Here’s what happened. During the Civil War in 1862, Lincoln’s favorite General, Ulysses S. Grant, was told that some Jewish peddlers had also sold some of their merchandise to Confederate soldiers.

When Grant herd this, he became furious. He was so angry he decided to stop Jewish peddlers from selling their merchandise to the Union army soldiers, and drew up an official order prohibiting all Jewish peddlers from selling to the Union soldiers.

When some of the Jewish merchants who were innocent of the charge told Lincoln what was going on, Lincoln recognized the injustice of the order, issued instructions for an immediate cancellation of Grant’s order.

Lincoln wrote, “To condemn a class (of people) is to condemn the good with the bad. I do not like to hear an entire class or nationality condemned on account of a few sinners.”

Source: http://www.ourjerusalem.com/history/...y20011104.html

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AN UNFINISHED REVOLUTION: Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln

AN UNFINISHED REVOLUTION: Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln