We Called Him Rabbi Abraham: Lincoln and American Jewry, a Documentary History

478 Pages·2014·5.76 MB·English

by  Gary Phillip Zola

mourn; Lincoln’s Jewish detractors contrasted “A rich, scholarly, instructive reminder that there’s always more to learn Zola over the course of American history,
to his boosters; how American Jews have in- about Honest Abe.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS Jews have held many American leaders
tentionally “Judaized” Lincoln ever since his we in high esteem, but they maintain a unique
death; the leading role that American Jews emotional bond with Abraham Lincoln. From
“It is a great tribute to Gary Zola’s passion, research skills, and narrative
have played in crafting Lincoln’s image and the time of his presidency to the present day,
talent that after thousands of books on Abraham Lincoln, he has produced
in preserving his memory for the American Lincoln has been persistently viewed by Amer-
a stunningly original work that throws new light not only on our sixteenth we called
nation; American Jewish reflections on the ican Jews as one of their own, identifying with
president and his relationship with the Jewish community but also on the
question “What Would Lincoln Do?”; and called him and, in certain respects, transforming
broader story of the American experience.”
how Lincoln, for America’s Jewish citizen- Lincoln into a Jewish role model. This pio-
—DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, author of Team of Rivals:
him him
ry, became the avatar of America’s highest neering compendium—the first volume of
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
moral aspirations. annotated documents to focus on the history
rabbi
of Lincoln’s image, influence, and reputation
With thoughtful chapter introductions that “Everyone interested in Lincoln and the Civil War—students, scholars, and
abraham r abbi among American Jews—considers how Lin-
provide readers with a context for the an- lovers of history alike—owes Gary Zola a debt of thanks for compiling this
coln acquired his exceptional status and how,
notated documents that follow, this volume fascinating book. Through scores of rare original documents and his own
over the past century and a half, this fasci-
provides a fascinating chronicle of Ameri- revealing analysis, Zola explores Lincoln’s relations during his life with Jews
nating relationship has evolved.
Lincoln abr aha m
can Jewry’s unfolding historical encounter and Judaism, and how Jews, like other Americans, later came to identify
with the life and symbolic image of Abraham with Lincoln and to claim him, in spirit if not religious affiliation, as one of and Organized into twelve chronological and the-
Lincoln, shedding light on how the cultural their own.” —ERIC FONER, author of The Fiery Trial: matic chapters, these little-known primary
American
interchange between American ideals and Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery source documents—many never before pub-
Jewish traditions influences the dynamics of Jewry lished and some translated into English for
Lincoln
the American Jewish experience. the first time—consist of newspaper clip-
“This is the most important contribution to the literature on Abraham Lin-
pings, journal articles, letters, poems, and
coln and the Jews in more than half a century. Judiciously written, including
A and
sermons, and they provide insight into a wide
rare primary sources and little-known photographs, this is a volume that
Documentary
variety of issues relating to Lincoln’s Jewish
anyone interested in Jews and the Civil War will want to own.”
GARY PHILLIP ZOLA is the executive di- History American connection. Topics include Lincoln’s early
—JONATHAN D. SARNA, author of
rector of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of encounters with Central European Jewish
When General Grant Expelled the Jews
the American Jewish Archives and a profes- immigrants living in the Old Northwest, as
Jewry
sor of the American Jewish experience at He- well as those with Jews and the Jewish com-
brew Union College. He is the author of The munity as president; General U. S. Grant’s
southern illinois university press
Americanization of the Jewish Prayer Book General Orders No. 11 expelling “Jews, as a
www.siupress.com
and the Liturgical Development of Congre- class” from the Military Department of Ten-
A Documentary
gation Ahawath Chesed, New York City, and nessee; and Jewish eulogies after Lincoln’s
Isaac Harby of Charleston: Jewish Reformer History assassination. Other chapters consider the
and Liberal. He has edited several books, in- crisis of conscience that arose when Presi-
cluding Women Rabbis: Exploration & Cele- dent Andrew Johnson proclaimed a national
Jacket illustration: reproduction of Victor David Brenner’s Lincoln Medal of 1907.
bration and The Dynamics of American Jew- day of mourning for Lincoln on the festival
Courtesy Stack’s Bowers Galleries.
Southern Gary Phillip Zola
ish History: Jacob Rader Marcus’s Essays on of Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), a day when
Illinois
American Jewry. Printed in the United States of America Jewish law enjoins Jews to rejoice and not to
University
Press
Zola cvr mech.indd 1 12/18/13 1:32 PM

We Called Him
Rabbi
Abraham

we called him
rabbi abraham
Lincoln and
American Jewry
A Documentary History
—
edited with introductions by
Gary Phillip Zola
Southern Illinois University Press
Carbondale
Copyright © 2014 by Gary Phillip Zola
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
“Abraham” by Irving Berlin copyright © 1941 by Irving Berlin;
copyright renewed; International Copyright Secured; all rights
reserved; reprinted in chapter 10 by permission.
Excerpts from Land of Lincoln, copyright © 2007 by Andrew
Ferguson; used by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.; any
third-party use of this material, outside this publication, is
prohibited.
17 16 15 14 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
We called him Rabbi Abraham : Lincoln and American
Jewry, a documentary history / edited with introductions by
Gary Phillip Zola.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8093-3292-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8093-3292-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 13: 978-0-8093-3293-9 (ebook)
ISBN-10: 0-8093-3293-0 (ebook)
1. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809–1865—Relations with Jews.
2. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809–1865—Influence. 3. Jews—United
States—History—19th century. 4. United States—History—
Civil War, 1861–1865—Jews. I. Zola, Gary Phillip, editor of
compilation. II. Zola, Gary Phillip, editor of
compilation. Abraham Lincoln and American Jewry.
III. Title.
E457.2.W48 2014
973.7089′924—dc23 2013015585
Printed on recycled paper.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for Information
Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48–1992.
To my parents
Roy M. Zola
Estelle C. Zola
Sidney Rothberg
Sylvia Rothberg
“We cannot escape history”
—Abraham Lincoln, second annual message to Congress
•
To my darlings
Mandi
Jory
Jeremy
Samantha
“The struggle of today . . . is for a vast future also”
—Abraham Lincoln, second annual message to Congress
•
And to my dearest
Stefi
“Throughout that long period, [s]he has constantly been the most loved”
—Abraham Lincoln’s eulogy on Henry Clay, 1852

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: Abraham Lincoln and American Jewry 1
1. Immigrants and the Old Northwest: Lincoln’s First
Encounters with American Jewry 9
2. “The Most Favored Family Visitor at the White House”: The Enigmatic
Relationship between Lincoln and Isachar Zacharie, M.D. 44
3. Lincoln and the Chaplaincy Controversy 72
4. Lincoln and the Revocation of General Orders No. 11 91
5. Lincoln and the Movement to Christianize the U.S. Constitution 117
6. “A Great Man in Israel Has Fallen”: American Jewry Mourns Lincoln 138
7. Conflicting Obligations: Shavuot and the National
Day of Humiliation and Mourning 178
8. Criticisms and Commendations: Conflicting
Views on the Lincoln Presidency 191
9. Memorializing and Judaizing Lincoln 227
10. “His Name Will Ever Be Green in Your Hearts”:
Jews and the Cultural Preservation of Lincoln’s Legacy 267
11. “Lincoln! Thou Shouldst Be Living at This Hour!” Lincoln
as a Moral Compass for American Jews 309
12. Lincoln Miscellany 354
Epilogue 392
Notes 397
Index 443