On this day, December 17, 1862, during the American Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. The order was issued as part of a Union campaign against the black market in the war zone, which Grant thought was being run mostly by Jews and other unprincipled traders. Under pressure from Lincoln, the General Order was revoked a few weeks later, and, during the campaign of 1868, Grant repudiated the order, Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, in particular, denounced Grant and called on Jews to vote against him. In 1874, President Grant and all the members in his Cabinet attended a dedication of the Adas Israel Congregation in Washington D.C. This was the first time an American President attended a synagogue service. Many historians have taken his action as part of his continuing effort to reconcile with the Jewish community.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 12:54:50 +0000
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