In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • FDR and the Jews by Richard Breitman and Allan J. Licthman
  • Trevor Burrows
FDR and the Jews Richard Breitman and Allan J. Licthman. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2013. 433 pp.

Many of the most influential studies concerning American responses to the Holocaust have necessarily dealt with Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a key historical actor with the potential to guide the country's policies on immigration, rescue, and the course of the war. Few scholars, however, have taken Roosevelt's relationship with American Jewry, or his approach to the problems faced by European Jewry during the 1930s and World War II, as the primary focus of their research. For Richard Breitman and Allan Lichtman, this has resulted in interpretations that frequently overlook Roosevelt's biography, his unique relationship with American Jewish leaders, and the complex political calculus that drove much of his action or inaction. In FDR and the Jews, the authors try to broaden the interpretive lens through which Roosevelt's choices are assessed by paying special attention to the shifting political and diplomatic circumstances that framed his career. Rejecting interpretations of Roosevelt as a master of the art of appeasement through empty political gestures, or as ultimately dismissive of the reality of Jewish suffering, the authors offer instead a portrait of a president who was sensitive to the plight of European Jews and worked quietly but steadily on their behalf. Throughout his presidency, however, Roosevelt's genuine interest in the defense and rescue of Jews was tempered by his keen understanding of the obstacles posed by the whim of public opinion, entrenched political opposition, fractured leadership among American Jewish institutions, and the challenges of wartime diplomacy.

Central to this interpretation is the authors' suggestion that Roosevelt's outward position on "Jewish issues" was never static, but that Roosevelt went through multiple "phases" concerning the growing threat to European Jewry. During the early years of his political career, Roosevelt proved himself to be relatively unmarked by the escalating antisemitism and nativism of the 1920s. He was willing to forge personal and professional relationships with Jews, many of whom became close confidants and members of his presidential administration, and his early experiences in politics made him an adept student of the ethnic and religious electoral [End Page 127] cleavages of the period. He carried these traits into his presidency where, from the beginning, he was forced to wrestle with the social impact of the Great Depression, increasingly aggressive anti-Jewish activity in Germany, and calls for action against such persecution and violence from American Jewish groups and supporters at home. Though sympathetic to their requests, this first phase of Roosevelt's response to Jewish concerns found the president's power checked by a dominant isolationist sentiment in his own administration and among the general population.

It was only during his second term that Roosevelt felt free to act more directly on behalf of European Jewry. From his reelection in 1936 to the outbreak of war in 1939, Roosevelt actively supported efforts to organize and facilitate the resettlement of European Jews in Latin America and elsewhere, and he subtly manipulated immigration quotas in order to admit greater numbers of German Jews to the United States without having to face down a congress that was adamantly opposed to the loosening of immigration policy. The realities of war pushed Roosevelt into a third phase, where he openly placed national security, diplomacy, and the importance of winning the war above his commitment to European refugees, and he championed victory as the best means of defending European Jews. By late 1943, however, Roosevelt became more receptive to public and private appeals for assistance. It was during this final phase that Roosevelt most openly advocated for Jews by approving the formation of the War Refugee Board and by calling attention to Germany's targeted violence against Jews.

Many of the significant issues that have driven criticism of the Roosevelt administration in relation to the Holocaust and anti-Jewish violence, such as the St. Louis affair, the suggested bombing of Auschwitz, and American immigration policy, are given special attention in Breitman and Lichtman's analysis. In each case, the authors explicitly identify...

pdf