Are American Jews more assertive today in confronting antisemitism?
Yes. Up until the 1930s, the general Jewish response to antisemitism was avoidance–don’t scare the horses, don’t make a public fuss. One notable exception occurred at the end of the 19th century, when the New York banker Joseph Seligman, a German-Jew, was refused a room in the Grand Union Hotel at Saratoga Springs. The owner, Judge Henry Hilton, explained that he had no objection to the Sephardic elite, who had lived in America since the 17th century and whom he believed to be the refined, “true Hebrews.” By contrast, Hilton claimed, the German immigrant “Seligman” Jews were dirty and greedy, and thus unfit for society. The incident received widespread press coverage, and the issue of “pushy” Jews took on the mantle of cause célèbre. At that moment, Jews became the object of exclusion from public accommodations, and eventually limitations were set on their attendance at universities. They were simply “too smart” in an unhealthy way! After the 1950s and during the Civil Rights movement
