A Tree with Roots welcomes historian and storyteller SCOTT D. SELIGMAN to share a fascinating chapter of American history - with resonance for each of us today.
On July 30, 1902, tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of New York’s Lower East Side to bid farewell to the city’s chief rabbi, Jacob Joseph. Without warning, scraps of steel, iron bolts, and scalding water were launched at the mourners, courtesy of antisemitic factory workers. The police compounded the attack, under orders from superiors, who made no effort to distinguish aggressors from victims. To the Yiddish press, the attack was not unlike those that many remembered bitterly from the Old Country. But this was America, and the Jewish community, fed up with being persecuted, responded to the assault, setting a pattern for the future by pursuing Jewish rights and justice for the victims. Scott Seligman’s new account of this history, The Chief Rabbi’s Funeral: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Antisemitic Riot, is the first book-length account of this seminal event and its aftermath.
Scott D. Seligman is a writer and historian. He is the national award-winning author of numerous books, including The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902: Immigrant Housewives and the Riots that Shook New York City (2020), and Murder in Manchuria: The True Story of a Jewish Virtuoso, Russian Fascists, a French Diplomat, and a Japanese Spy in Occupied China (2023).
Scott specializes in bringing little-known but crucial moments in history to life with drama and meaning. We are delighted to introduce him to our A Tree with Roots Community! Register below to receive the Zoom link and Passcode:
Special for A Tree with Roots community: Scott Seligman’s book THE CHIEF RABBI’S FUNERAL will be published in December. Beginning November 18, it can be ordered directly from the publisher at this link, for a 40% discount with the code 6AF24.