THE DETROIT JEWIS H NEWS — Friday, July 13, 1962 —

32

•

History of Hebrew Union Veterans,
JWV's Predecessor, Related by Katz

Georgia Town Rallies Behind
Polish Immigrant for Mayoralty

A Polish immigrant has be-
"The Citizens League for Bet-
come the mayor of Alma, Ga. ter Government- made mention
(population 4,000).
of the fact that 'Mr. Cohen was
The farmers and townspeople directly responsible for getting
of this small southern commun- Alma's only factory into opera-
ity rallied behind Nathan Cohen tion where today it employs
to defeat a militant anti- nearly 200 women workers.'
Semitic drive injected into the
"Cohen's opponent later de-
election campaign by outsiders. nied that he had anything to
Their story is told by Adolph do wit& the distribution of the
Rosenberg, editor of the South- hate sheet which had so out-
ern Israelite, in an article raged the conscience of Alma's
which appeared in a recent townspeople. Cohen's friends
issue of the ADL (Anti-Defa- made clear that the issue in the
mation League of Bnai Brith) election was never Mr. Cohen's
religion.
Bulletin.
* *
"This . .. was what virtually
"As the race began in Sep- all' the people felt on election
tember, Nathan Cohen began day. Of 1,171 men and women
to campaign in the quiet fash- who voted, 955 chose Nathan
ion of small towns in Georgia's Cohen. His opponent got 184."
rural area," Rosenberg relates. Cohen took office in January,
"Mr. Cohen went out visiting 1962.
each of the 900 homes in Alma. First to Be Naturalized
Often, the people he called on
got the jump on him with 'Mr. Under Cromwell in Britain
Antonio Fernandez Caravajal,
EDITOR'S NOTE: The forthcoming executive secretary of Temple Beth El Cohen, you don't have to talk
politics to me. I remember the first Jew to be naturalized
national convention of the Jewish War and author of a book on Michigan Jews when
you helped my uncle buy in England, emigrated to that
Veterans of the United States, to be held in the Civil War, the material of which his farm.'
country in 1635 from the Ca-
in Detroit commencing on Aug. 27, will be on display at the Detroit Historical
"It didn't take long for thisnary Islands where he had fled
draws attention to the earlier Jewish Museum during "The American Jews in atmosphere to change. One to escape persecution in his na-
veterans' movement that functioned in the Civil War Exhibit," starting on July night an anti-Semitic hate sheet tive
i who
practiced his A Marrah no,
true fait
n se-
this country. While the Jewish War Vet- 23, 'relates the history of the Hebrew was passed out in Alma. The
erans is the oldest veterans' movement Union Veterans Association. The above contents were the usual vicious cret, he was naturalized in 1655
in this country, its predecessor dates photograph shows 51 Jewish Civil War slanders familiar to Jews every- and was later instrumental in
rights for Jews under
back much earlier—to the Civil War. In veterans who were members of this as- where. But this type of virul- securing
Oliver Cromwell.
ence had never entered Alma's
this article, Irving I. Katz, historian, sociation.
limits before.
• • •
"There was no mistaking its Hebrew Corner
By IRVING I. KATZ
are under the control of the man, Co. H 6 N.Y. N.G.• Coleman
The Jewish War Veterans of national headquarters and under , Cohen, Co. F, 28 N.Y. Vols.; Simon import: that Nathan Cohen's
Adamsky, Co. H, 1 U.S. Cay.; Al
Jewishness disqualified him—
the United States organization the leadership of a national I Hohenstein,
Co. H, 8 N.Y. Vols.;
is an outgrowth of the Hebrew commander. The national head- George L. Rich, Co. B, 139 N.Y. 'and any of his faith—from the
The Jews do not have a maritime
halls
of government and civic past. The Jewish nation was not
Vols.; Major Jacob Jacobs, Co. F,
Union Veterans Association. . quarters are in Washington, 83
N.Y.S. Vols.; Colonel S. H. Mil- leadership.
known as a nation of seamen. How-
The HtTVA was organized in D. C.
denberg, 1 Nev. Vols., 102 N.Y. N.G.
ever, with the establishment of the
I Vols.; Lt. Col. Adam Brown, Co. G,
"Mr. Cohen waited to see state, an Israeli fleet was founded
the Lexington Opera House,
Theodore Brooks of N e w ' 4 N.Y. Vols.; Max Neustadt, Co. C, what affect -the hate sheet would which developed well. There arose
New York City, in March, 1896,
Isaac Adamsky, Co. A,
the necessity to train seamen and
York is currently serving as 66 N. Y . o Vols.;
have
on his chances for election to study seamanship.
Vols.;
H.
L.
Klein,
Co.
L,
by 67 Jewish veterans of the national commander and Joseph I 37 Ohi
, 25 N.Y. Cay.; Isadore Kahn, Co. F, . . . he wanted to know what
In the city of Haifa, where the
Civil War. The first national F. Barr is national executive 2 Mo. Vols.; Michael Silverstone.
largest harbor of the country is sit-
Co. H 8 N.Y. Vols.; Solomon Gug- this abrupt introduction of uated, a ma r i t i m e museum was
commander was Judge Joseph director.
' genheimer, Co. L, 195 Penna. Vols.; anti-Semitism meant to Alma." founded in which research work is
H. Stiner. He was succeeded by
done in m a r i t i m e history from
Harry T. Madison of Detroit Martin Schloss, Co. D, 121 Penna.
Isaac Eckstein and then by Col.
m Coor:
He didn't have to wait long, ancient times until our period. In
is
a
past
national
commander
l isvi a
' s(s4..14! tA.rjt o;seSpgil. taiTo
the museum you can see models of
err,
Isidore Isaacs.
according
to
Rosenberg.
The
ships that were built in ancient
ris Bornstein, Co.. F, 27 N.Y. S.M.;
of the JWV.
L. Isaacs, Ships Writer. U.S. next morning. Alma responded times by Egyptians. Assyrians, By-
In 1899, at the conclusion of
U. S. Attorney Lawrence Charles
ill tin: ei rm. aarned als voenfouJner ;no rel th.7,
Navy; Levi Ehrenreich, Co. F, 62
the Spanish - American War, Gubow is chairman of the JWV Pa. Vols.; Louis Stein, Co. D, 27 to his race hatred campaign T
Pa. Vols.; Emil Blumenthal, Co. K, with, a counter-attack of active ships of the Middle Ages and ,rom
those who had served in the convention committee.
119 N.Y. Vols.; David Bennett, Co. community brotherhood. The
army or navy organized the
?ruorm various ZL;
i picyhardws.erfu Tee igud-
The photo above, taken in H. 9 N.Y. Cay.; Louis Horman, Co.
smeetTeisthtehraet isshea, collection of 120
• Junior Hebrew Veterans Asso- • 1912, shows 51 Civil War vet- D, 1 Wash. Terr.; Samuel Rosen- article states:
berg, Musician, 41 N.Y. Vols.; Max
viation of the War with Spain. erans of the Union Army who Neisner, Co. G, 16 Conn. Vols.;
"Friends of Mr. Cohen pub- of shipping in the c eou drseeve C3p1M1
and also a rich rllection of
This name. because of its un- were members of the Hebrew Salomon Blumenthal, Co. E. 6 N,Y. lished a fact sheet of their own, years,
maps of Eretz-Israel t at describe
N.G.; Hyman Franklin, Co. —, 31
wieldliness, was changed in 1900 Union Veterans Association. N.Y. Vols.; Isaac Brown, Co. A, 102 giving the reply to the hate the wanderings of the Children of
Israel.
There
is also a collection of
N.Y.
Vols.;
Isaac Kohn , Co.
material. It included a series of
to the Hebrew Veterans of the Their names, ranks, branch of
F/4.
N.Y. letters and testimonials headed: copper engravings, maritime scenery
War with Spain. The national service. and home state of en- Vols.; Ludolph Friedmen, Co. H.
and ports of later centuries, coins
2
R.I. Vols.; Samual Kleinberg, Co. M, `Here's What Alma Citizens and medallions connected with mari-
commander for many years was listment are as follows:
19 Pa. Cay.; David Lazarus, Co. F, Think About Dirty Political time subjects, and jugs salvaged
Isidore Weill. The Hebrew' Col. Isaac Eckstein, Co. K. 12 Mo. 23
from the depths of the sea.
Pa. Vols.; Isidore Rosskopf, Co.
Cay.; Col. Joseph
atV.r,ivervo(t:o, K, 86 Ohio Vols.; Henry Wachsmen, Tricks Brought Up In A Des-
A person interested in maritime
Union Veterans Association and K.
9 N.Y.
C .
literature can find in this museum
Co. C, 31 N.Y. Vols.; Louis Lewin,
the Hebrew Veterans of the Col. Isidore L:aacs,
F. 5.9 N.Y. Co. C. 99 N.Y. Vols.; Louis Mund- perate Effort to Defeat Nathan many books about the sea. the his-
Vol
s.;
2
helm, Co.A. D.C.
Cohen.' Comments ranged from tory of shipping„nautical architec-
War with Spain continued as
)
B a tt.; Dalvid
A
;.; Moses Osterman,
end es, o.
9
.Y. os -
ex- government official response to ture and the development of ship-
two separate organizations. safe- Eng.; Meyer Hexter, Co. B, 19 Vet. ander
ping devices.
Falke, G.
F. 68 N.Y . ' Vols.;
rr
Emanuel
Co. G. A. Goldfinch, Co.o.H. H, N.Y.
business, and social factions of
Translation of Hebrew text,
guarding the interests of Jewish 1 38 In d
:
yo
To
o •
do
p
Pincus,
us
Jerusalem
the
community,
Veterans and Jews in the Co. K. .66 N.Y. Vols..; Joseph Unger.; Emil Katzenkein, Co. D, 52 N.Y.
Published by Brith Irvith Ilamith
Co.
F,
20
N.Y.
Vols.;
Moses
Schu-
e.t>
United States Army and Navy.
Vols.
defending Jewish rights gen-
erally and promotng
i
Ameri-
*
eanism.
The roster of the Hebrew
'17;'71
Union Veterans Association. `-"
however, was bein. e, rapidly de-
From its very beginnings in , for of the Archives. Dr. Jacob
pleted by death because mem-
bership was limited to veterans the mid-1650s, the American R. Marcus, will head the expe-
of the Civil War. In 1917. no Jewish community has had im- 1 dition, which is° a continuation
120 -
longer able to maintain a sepa- portant relations with commu- of one he made to the Carib-
5,000
IF
•
. rIlly077
??;
bean and Latin America ten
rate organization, the remain- nities. Jewish and non-Jewish, years ago, and associated with
ing members of the Hebrew ,
i
Union Veterans Association in Europe and the Holy Land. him will be Rabbi Theodore S.
were absorbed into the Hebrew American Jews have either orig- Levy, of Waterbury, Connecti-
Veterans of the War with Spain. inated abroad or have had sig- cut, and Mrs. Levy.
When the first World War nificant dealings with over-seas
The Bur dman family of 9Pi't ing'P
was ended in 1918, the Hebrew instituitions and personalities.. Youngstown, 0., have- provided
7tg rgri4 , pnrin
Veterans of the War with Spain, In some notable instances—the the funds for this expedition in
►
in order to include veterans of Revolutionary War hero Haym honor of their parents, Mr. and
p7p
rnwirin
all wars. changed its name to Saloinon, for example — both Mrs. Harry Burdman.
Hebrew Veterans of the War have been true. Up to now,
Each of the European centers
of the Republic. The first na- • however, relatively little has
tional commander of the new been done to uncover in foreign which are on the itinerary have
organization was Maurice Sim- archives the over-seas activities a connection with the early life
mons.
of American Jewry. Thus, the
of American Jews.
Virgin Islands, which were Dan-
In 1923, at the suggestion
of Nathan Strauss, an hon- j With a view to recovering ish until 1917, are known to
orary member, the word "He- documents that will shed fresh have had in the 17th century as
brew" was changed to "Jew- light on the first phases of Jew- governor a Jew converted to
.11'7;: -
ish." The organization adopted • ish life in the Western Hemi- Christianity, and later indivi-
its present name (Jewish War sphere and to completing its dual Jews did business in the
1
Veterans of the United States)
collection relating to the Zion- islands. The Danish National
,
In 1929. , ist movement, the American Archives will he visited in order
Today, the Jewish War Vet- Jewish Archives—the historical to secure source materials
erans is a nation-wide organiza. research center on the Cincin- throwing light on these early
tion with more than 700 posts. nati campus of the Hebrew associations.
These are located in every Union College-Jewish Institute
In Spain and Portugal, Dr.
large city of the United States. of Religion—has organized an Marcus and his colleagues hope
The various posts are banded expedition to Europe and Israel
together in state groups, but all beginning June 25. The direc- to obtain copies of relevant rec-
ords of the Inquisition.
rItytpp i4j71:135

•

Maritime Museum,

•

•

American Jewish Archives Plan
r xpedition to Europe and Israel

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