American Zionism and the Rescue of European Jewry: An Ideological Perspective

Before the Second World War, Zionism had gained few adherents among the five million Jews living in the United States. This situation changed drastically during the war years, as American Zionist leaders, spurred on by the persecution of their European brethren, undertook a militant campaign to win both supporters and political influence. Membership in Zionist organizations rose dramatically, and the American Zionist Emergency Council, established in 1943, quickly became a most efficient political lobby. ¹ Under its auspices, hundreds of local emergency committees were set up by Jewish communities throughout the country. These committees made contacts with the editors and publishers of local newspapers, and flooded congressmen with letters demanding United States support for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. The American Zionists' success in recruiting in Congress played a crucial part in the establishment of Israel in 1948, and in the survival of that state during the following decades.