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64

JOHN ADAMS
(1735-1826): second
president of the Unit-
ed States; Federalist

Like his colleague,
friend and occasional
adversary Thomas Jef-
ferson, Adams was an extraordinary
I man in his relations to the Jewish corn-
munity.•
1 He advocated religious freedom for
all, stood firmly behind separation of
church and state, and repeatedly
expressed admiration for the Jewish
1 religion.
After reading antisemitic writings by
Voltaire, Adams, incensed, penned a
letter to a friend, "How is it possible
this odd fellow should represent the
1 Hebrews in such a contemptible light?
They are the most glorious Nation that
lever inhabited this Earth. The Romans
land their Empire were but a Bauble in
comparison of the Jews. They have
given Religion to three quarters of the
'Globe and have influenced the affairs
i of Mankind more, and more happily
1 than any other Nation, ancient or
1 modern."
Famed for his brilliance and tenaci-
Adams even suggested, in corre-
spondence with Jefferson, that the
I Hebrew language ought to be part of
any advanced education. His will left
I funds for the establishment of a school
where not only Latin and Greek but
I Hebrew would be taught.

I

ULYSSES S. GRANT
(1822-1885): 18th
president of the
United States;
Republican

Grant may forever
remain infamous for
I General Order No. 11, but serious
questions remain as to whether the
famed Union general really was anti-
semitic.
General Order No. 11, which
I Grant issued on Dec. 17, 1862,
reads: "The Jews, as a class violating
every regulation of trade established
by the Treasury Department and also
i department orders, are hereby

expelled from the department within
twenty-four hours from receipt of this
order.
"Post commanders will see that all of
this class of people be furnished pass-
es and required to leave, and any
one returning after such notification will
be arrested and held in confinement
until an opportunity occurs of sending
them out as prisoners, unless furnished
with permit from headquarters." (Trans-
lation: All Jews under Grant's com-
mand were immediately expelled,
allegedly because they were some-
how involved in illegal trade.)
The question is, who really wrote
General Order No. 11?
Was it Grant? A handful of scholars
doubt it, suggesting instead that some-
one else in the military (where many
known antisemites were making their
career) wrote it.
But even if that's true, wasn't Grant
ultimately responsible, since he was
the one who issued the remarks?
While running for president, Grant
would say he hadn't carefully consid-
ered the order before approving it.
Others note that his father had some
(perhaps unfortunate) business deal-
ings with Jews at the time.
(General Order No. 11 eventually
I was revoked — because the presi-
dent himself, Abraham Lincoln, insist
ed on it.)
Outside of General Order No. 11,
and a few comments attributed to him
around the same time, Grant never
I acted with hostility toward Jews or had
anything negative to say about the
l Jewish community. In fact, after becom-
. ing president he appointed longtime
I friend, Joseph Seligman, to secretary
I of the treasury, and former Bind B'rith
president, Benjamin F. Peixotto, as
counsel to Bucharest — specifically to
stop Romanian attacks on Jews.
Among Grant's biggest supporters
1 was Simon Wolf, an attorney and
Jewish community activist. According
I to Wolf, Grant "did more on and in
behalf of American citizens of Jewish
faith, at home and abroad, than all
the Presidents of the United States
prior thereto or since."

I

WOODROW
WILSON (1856-
1924): 28th presi-
dent of the United
States; Democrat

As a boy he was
called Tommy (his first
name is Thomas), but he dropped the
nickname because it didn't sound aus-
tere enough.
Wilson, the first president to earn a
Ph.D., was the son of a British mother
and an American-born Presbyterian
minister, who had hoped his son
would follow him into the church.
Described as inflexible, romantic,
1 self-righteous, brilliant and honest, Wil-
son was an early and outspoken
I advocate of the establishment of a
Jewish state — even when his own
1 State Department held the exact
opposite view. Most historians believe
Wilson's Zionist views were the result
of his religious background, which
i also inspired his efforts on behalf of
I oppressed groups everywhere.
After announcing his support for the
Balfour Declaration, he said, "I have
before this expressed my personal
approval of the Declaration of the
British government regarding Pales-
: tine. I am moreover persuaded that
the Allied nations with the fullest con-
! currence of our own government and
people are agreed that in Palestine
there shall be laid the foundation of a
Jewish Commonwealth."
Wilson was the first to appoint a
Jew, Louis Brandeis, to the Supreme
Court. It was an extremely bold move
at the time, and one met with a great
I deal of controversy. The Senate
debated the nomination for more than
five months, with opposition coming
from both leading attorneys and politi-
i cal figures, including former president
William Howard Taft.

I

MARTIN VAN BUREN
(1782-1862): Eighth
president of the Unit-
ed States; Democrat

The man with the
conspicuous sideburns
was known to have a

