American Blacks Did More To Save Jews During The Holocaust Than American Lubavitchers Did

Historian Tom Segev writes in Ha'aretz:

…A group of scholars headed by author Elie Wiesel has now asked the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington to put greater emphasis on the activity of the "Bergson Group" in rescuing Jews in Europe. And a conference in [Hillel] Kook's  [a.k.a. Peter Bergson] memory was held in New York.

A member of the Irgun pre-state underground organization, Kook tried to establish a Jewish army in the United States in order to take part in the war against the Nazis. When reports of the extermination of the Jews began to arrive, he organized marches and meetings, published advertisements, and tried to collar senators in an effort to force the Roosevelt administration to do more to rescue the Jews. He loathed the Jewish establishment for its fawning obedience, and its leaders viewed him as a publicity-seeking troublemaker and were concerned that his hyperactivity would get them into trouble for displaying "dual loyalty."

The argument over who was right is now splitting historians, more or less along the line that also divides them on the question of whether the Jewish public leadership in Palestine could have done more to rescue the Jews.

Kook, the nephew of the chief rabbi of Palestine, espoused a "Hebrew, quasi-Canaanite" national outlook, as an alternative to Zionist Jewish thought. He was in favor of separating religion and state, and for the participation of Arabs in the government.…

[I]n the 1940s he helped advance the struggle for equal rights of the blacks in [the United States], as did many Jews there. That is a well-known story. What is less well known is that some of the leaders of the black communities in the United States also supported him and his struggle to rescue the Jews of Europe.

Kook's American biographer, Raphael Medoff, recently gave a talk on the assistance Kook received from a number of black celebrities. They signed his petitions, attended his meetings and also helped him raise money. That was far from self-evident: They had troubles of their own. Among Kook's supporters was one of the best-known and most admired of American blacks: the legendary singer Paul Robeson. According to Medoff's account, it appears that more blacks than Jews backed Peter Bergson.

It was an alliance of the persecuted. In the spring of 1947, an ardently pro-Zionist play called "A Flag is Born," by Ben Hecht - who also supported the effort to compel the Roosevelt administration to do more to rescue Jews - was about to be staged in Baltimore. At the time, blacks could only get tickets for the balcony. The Bergson Group threatened a scandal, the theater's management gave in, and black invitees sat in the main hall for the first time in the theater's history.…

Black Americans were more supportive of Holocaust rescue than many Jews – including the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, whose record on Zionism, Holocaust rescue and shtadlanut was simply abysmal.

Comments

[Yisroel]

We should demand that the Chabad spokesman say their side of history!

[ShmorgelBorgel]

And according to this, some prominent Australian Aborigines protested at the German Consulate in Melbourne immediately after Kristallnacht.

http://www.dosinc.org.au/stories11.html

[Shmarya]

AMAZING!

[MM]

A few day ago someone wrote about Abe Foxman calling a woman a shiksa

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=14371

I would have thought you would jump on this.

[anonymous]

Since you believe the rebbe worked against saving Jews, virtually anyone alive who stayed on the sidelines and did nothing did more than the Lubavitcher.Sort of double counting of avlehs.

[Arieh Lebowitz]

Rafael Medoff and David Wyman -- Medoff is director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies -- have long spoken out and written bitterly of their belief that American Jews individually and collectively could have done much more to aid their brothers and sisters in Europe during the Holocaust years.

That some African-American leaders supported Kook and his struggle to rescue the Jews of Europe is of [some] interest, and it is to Medoff's credit that he presented information to the public on the assistance Kook received from a number of African-American personalities.

That they "signed his petitions, attended his meetings and also helped him raise money," yashe' koyakh. That Paul Robeson was among Kook's supporters, again, worth knowing.

But seriously. It's not evident that from Medoff's account it appears that more blacks than Jews backed Kook - a.k.a. Peter Bergson. To put it in simple terms, where are the numbers? How many African-Americans, either as representatives of organizations or as individuals, were involved in work in support of Kook - Bergson? How many Jews? And in any event, what does this all mean?

It must be remembered that the work of Kook - Bergson and his close associates, which of course should receive proper representation in the historical record, in books and inm museums, is only a small part of the history of opposition to the Nazis and their allies before and during the Holocaust.

While I understand that there is an undercurrent of antipathy "here" towards the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, his actions, laudable or condemnable, should be examined on their own, and not subjected to how they compare to how [or how many] African-Americans were supportive of the Kook - Bergson group vs. how many Jews did so.

I mean, really.

[Lev]

Lubavitchers-Meshihisten are typically SOVIET cult.
Their history changes with times:RASHAB was anti-Zionist and Monarchist(like Lazar now);
Rebbe-God Mendel Leivikovich Schneerson preached the war with the rest of the world: Arabs, Christians,etc.
Shmarya,I know it is a sore point for you but can you explain finally to me,please,why Lubavitchers-Mashihisten-Elokisten-Putinisten HATE ALL OTHER ORTHODOX Jews???
In some places they have a truce with MO but it is just to hurt Aguda.
BTW,Aguda Wealthy Balaabatim of America tolerated their shenanigans during and after Morris Shere.

[Shmarya]

They dislike all other forms of Orthodoxy because Chabad believes it is the only true and correct for of Judaism.

[Avrohom]

Lev,

You are obviously a low life that speaks so low at Tzadikim. But your lowliness is even grosser when you align yourself to bash lubavitch with someone who does not beleivein Hashem, in the Torah and bashed and bashes all orthdox Jews. In fact, he bashed with the most vulgar of terms Reb Elchonon Wasserman. He actually defend a SS officcer!

I start to understand how deep the hatred for Lubavitch was imbedded in the milk that many children drank. And I'll tell you, the same way you lie and misrepresent what my REbbes did I could tell you some truths and ILL THAT your leaders did: It is only by luck and dishonestsy that your hero (the erev rav antisemite scotty) did not post that one of your gedolim is responsible for the fact that so much pain abnd suffering exists in the frum world where he instilled for thousands of people a lifestyle of not working and schnorring and demanding that the father in law buy you a mortgage and have a heart attack for that. Yuo call him the one who brought torah to america. IT may be but he created the grreatest ills in jewish history in raising a generation who depend upon others and take handouts. And this is TRUTH. If you and yous friends cannot stop with your lies i will turn some truth on for you.

[eddie]

Any idea why the satmar rebbe, of accursed memory, was so abusive towards Rav Kotler ztl?

[cowfy not a chabadska]

kotler was said to have vetoed money intended to save euro jews from the natzis in order to use same for yeshivas.any info on this?????????

[Shmarya]

As far as I know, it is not true. The 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, however, did exactly that.