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Jewish Pride During WWII

 Pride in Jewish heritage was always strong in Youngstown, but particularly during World War II. Zionist community leaders, like David Fish and Oscar Altshuler, were encouraged by National Jewish leaders to promote public outcries over the atrocities in Europe. As a result, an overall increase in Jewish pride emerged during the late 1930s and 1940s.

An excellent example of the pride and unity during the WWII era came in the summer of 1941 when a “Jewish Day” at Idora Park was held. The event brought the community together not only to support the war but to strengthen the bonds of Jews on the home front. Nearly 10,000 Jews gathered to celebrate their heritage.[1]

Anti-Semitism in Youngstown

Anti-Semitism did by no means appear in Youngstown as a result of World War II. In fact, it had been a constant bias, in various degrees, since the first Jewish settles arrived in the area in the nineteenth-century. During the 1930s and 40s, the prejudice became temporarily more organized with the advent of Ku Klux Klan and other groups who promoted racial and religious hate. Chief among these were the Silver Shirts, an offshoot faction of the Nazi party. In 1937, Rabbi Stitskin of Beth Israel Temple led an “aggressive campaign to nip the organization in the bud.” Through a combined effort of the rabbi, the American Legion, Warren Ministerial Organizations, and regular citizens, the leader of the Silver Shirts was impeached from his position as president of the City Council.   

The type and intensity of the bigotry appears in differing degrees in personal recollections, from some not remembering it at all to vivid accounts. The variances speak to the many levels of covert and overt anti-Semitism present in Youngstown over the last two centuries. [1]

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