Theodore Roosevelt, a scion of the Protestant elite, was an unexpected champion of the impoverished immigrants who crowded the docks at Ellis Island. Yet, from an early age, he formed a bond with the Jewish community that had never been witnessed before in a US president, rallying for sweatshop reform and citing the heroism of the Maccabee warriors. In American Maccabee, Professor Andrew Porwancher, author of The Jewish World of Alexander Hamilton, traces the 26th President’s deep connection and complex relationship with Jews, as persecution in Eastern Europe saw a wave of refugees flee to American shores.
An event from Jewish Book Week 2025.
