PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m., historian Andrew Porwancher will discuss his book, "American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews," which explores the complex and often surprising relationship between the 26th US president and the American Jewish community during a pivotal moment in U.S. history.

 

This Jewish Federation of the Berkshires program will be presented via Zoom. Register at the calendar of events page at jewishberkshires.org.

 

According to a press release:

 

Porwancher will examine how Roosevelt, a scion of the Protestant elite, became an unexpected ally to Jewish immigrants arriving in large numbers at Ellis Island. From his early political career in New York, Roosevelt forged relationships with Jewish communities that were unprecedented for a future president. He spoke frequently on the Lower East Side, advocated for reform in sweatshops where many Jewish laborers worked under dangerous conditions, and publicly praised the heroism of the Maccabees, holding them up as a model for American Jewish life.

 

The program will also address the contradictions in Roosevelt's record. During his presidency, he was confronted with the brutal persecution of Jews in Eastern Europe, which sent waves of refugees to the United States, even as antisemitic and xenophobic sentiments were growing at home. Drawing on new archival research, Porwancher will present a nuanced portrait of a leader whose engagement with Jewish issues reflected both moral conviction and the limitations of his time.