Jews, Justice and Judaism; A Narrative of the Role Played by the Jews in Shaping American History

Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1969. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Fair/Fair. xvi, [2], 390 pages. Signed by the author, Robert St. John, in the front free endpaper. Includes a preliminary note to the reader, acknowledgments, Sources and Suggested Reading, and an index. Ex-library with usual markings. Some ink marks noted. Robert William St. John (March 9, 1902 - February 6, 2003) was an American author, broadcaster, and journalist. St. John, at age 16, lied about his age to enlist in the Navy during World War I. In 1939, St. John moved to Europe to report on the imminent war for the Associated Press. St. John reported from the Balkans. The persecution of Jews that he witnessed during that period helped instill in him a deep and enduring interest in Israel, Jewish issues and anti-Semitism. Covering the January 1941 pogrom in Bucharest, when Romanian fascists tortured and killed about 170 Jews, marked a watershed for him. He returned to New York City, where he wrote "what I saw and smelled and heard." The resulting book, From the Land of Silent People, was his first, and a bestseller. The author describes how and why Jewish immigrants came to America, what religious ideas they brought with them, how they adapted to their new country, what changes America effected in their religious practices, and what role they played in its history. The author also analyzes the problems faced by Jews living in America: the disputes that divided them into Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform; and the difficulties of retaining a Jewish identity in a pluralistic, secular society. Most significantly, the author describes the contributions that Jewish thought and Jewish traditions have made to American life, especially in the field of social justice.