Standing at the entrance to the National Library of Israel, I ask myself a familiar question: “Will I find what I need for my research today?” As has been the case for the past 47 years, the answer is a resounding ”Yes.”
This time, my inquiry centers on uncovering the lesser-known stories of American Jewry – and of America itself – found within the library’s vast collections.
A history of American Jewry at the National Library
I begin by ordering the Baltimore Jewish Times, now available in its entirety online through the library’s website. I turn to February 1943. A headline catches my eye: “No Matzah Rationing on Passover.” The article reads, “The government has assured the matzah industry there will be no rationing of matzah and matzah products this year.” The article quotes a spokesperson from Horowitz-Margareten, a major matzah producer.
But the true story is revealed just beneath the surface. The article continues: “Order Number 1 of the Food Distribution Administration in Washington, D.C., requires matzah bakers to supply grocers with the quantity of matzot they need to fill customer orders.” This directive suggests a form of indirect rationing. According to further US archival sources, the real message to consumers was: You can get as much matzah as you want – but only if you order early.
As Jewish soldiers fought on the front lines in WW II, their families on the home front were urged to act quickly to ensure that their Seder tables wouldn’t be bare.
How important it has been to me that the National Library has every issue of the widely distributed weekly Jewish magazine The American Hebrew, beginning in the early 1880s! The first issue has a story by Emma Lazarus. Two articles from The American Hebrew 1943 and 1889 are outstanding in our American narrative.
Another remarkable piece I uncovered involves High Holiday services conducted on Guadalcanal Island in 1943. Historian Dr. Françoise Ouzan, in her important book True to My God and Country: How Jewish Americans Fought in World War II, documents how improvised religious services were organized during the intense military campaign from August 1942 to February 1943.
According to The American Hebrew, US soldiers marked the High Holidays with improvised services. Ouzan highlights the roles of captain Benjamin Fenichel of the US Army and Captain Sidney Altman of the US Marines, who led services on opposite sides of the island due to a lack of available chaplains:” These two officers showed that vigor of spirit and high morale were military weapons. Fenichel blew the shofar at a New Year service on Guadalcanal in September 1943. He had trained in the hellish jungles after American troops conquered the islands. Highly decorated, the captain proved that he could receive respect in the military while displaying his Jewishness. He more than likely healed the souls of many servicemen who thought that Jewish identity would be a burden in the military.” About captain Altman, she wrote: “When a Protestant chaplain informed Altman that supplies sent by the Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) had miraculously arrived on the island, the decorated officer took up the challenge of transforming the surroundings by creating an island within an island, a small ark (maybe with a paper Torah in it) inside a tent. The celebration of Rosh Hashana must have instilled in some servicemen a renewed zest for life and an awareness of the blessing of being alive and healthy. In a way, it combatted the mental fatigue that threatens all military units.”
Their efforts gained recognition when their photographs appeared on the cover of The American Hebrew. Ouzan calls this “one of the most documented examples of improvised Jewish worship during the war.”
Going farther back in history, I reflect on the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration in 1889. That year, Passover coincided with the national celebration. Matzah merchants in New York seized the opportunity: A month before Passover, they announced that anyone buying 10 pounds of matzah would receive a free picture of George Washington.
We don’t know how many pictures were distributed, but one vivid example remains: A drawing from The American Hebrew depicts a Jewish family at their Seder table, with a picture of Washington hanging by the door.
I used that image in my American Heritage Haggadah, published in Jerusalem.
US ambassador Stuart Eizenstat to the EU kindly wrote the introduction to my Haggadah. One line especially captures the spirit of American Jewish identity: “How beautiful – George Washington is there near the open door to welcome Elijah.” Eizenstat recalls how his family hosted president Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter for a Seder.
We now return to the 19th century and Hamagid, one of the earliest Hebrew newspapers, published from the 1856 to 1903 in Eastern Europe – long before Eliezer Ben-Yehuda began his campaign to revive the Hebrew language. Its editor was Eliezer Lipman Silberman.
Hamagid had correspondents worldwide, such as Rabbi Henry Vidaver in St. Louis, Missouri, who reported on major Civil War events. He described the surrender at Appomattox and Robert E. Lee’s call for Confederate troops to return home. Remarkably, Jews in Europe were reading about the American Civil War – in Hebrew.
The Civil War ended on April 15, 1865, four days after the start of Passover. On April 14, Hol Hamoed, John Wilkes Booth assassinated president Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre. The Hamagid correspondent wrote: “A wail went up – Abraham Lincoln can no longer make the peace real.” He even hinted at a conspiracy, suggesting that Southern sympathizers were behind the plot. Among them, he speculated, was Judah P. Benjamin, a Jewish Confederate leader who later fled to England and became a renowned barrister.
Fast-forward to the early years of the State of Israel. Bamahaneh, the weekly IDF magazine, began publication even before Israel’s independence. The 1949–1950 edition offers an incredible window into the mindset of Israeli soldiers and civilians. The pages are filled with cartoons – sometimes joyful, sometimes sharply satirical – created by young artists who later became prominent illustrators.
One issue features an interview with celebrated violinist Isaac Stern, a staunch supporter of Israel. His handwritten note is reproduced alongside the article – a deeply personal touch, far from anything AI-generated.
In 1908, the Gliddens, a couple from Boston, traveled the world by automobile to showcase the future of transportation. About 40 years ago, I discovered their story in a book by my beloved teacher, Prof. Moshe Davis. He and his wife documented the biblical roots of town and nature site names across America and created a map of such locations. A copy of this map resides at the National Library, waiting for deeper study.
I’ve also become fascinated by advertisements for American cars in Mandate-era and early Israeli newspapers, including Bamahaneh. In The Palestine Weekly, an English-language newspaper established by the British Mandate, I found an ad for the first American car sold locally - the Chevrolet.
This was especially meaningful to me. My first car, a gift from my bubby when I was 16, was a Chevrolet. Seeing that same car advertised in the 1920s Palestine Weekly brought a smile to my face. Later, Chevrolets and Pontiacs (sadly, no longer produced) were also frequently advertised in Bamahaneh, reflecting its wide readership across Israeli society.
On July 4, 1976, for the US Bicentennial, my family and I were still living in Wilmington, Delaware – just a short drive from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We visited Independence Hall, where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. A deed from the 19th century affirms that the house had been owned by a member of the Gratz family, a prominent Jewish-American family.
Our most memorable stop was the Liberty Bell. There, etched into the iconic symbol of freedom, are the words from Leviticus: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof.” We ended the day lying on the grass, watching a spectacular fireworks display.
All these stories – and many more – are preserved thanks to the National Library of Israel and its digitized Historical Jewish Press collection. It is not only a treasure trove of Jewish and Israeli history but also a guardian of American Jewish heritage.■
https://www.nli.org.il/en/discover/newspapers