The Chief Rabbi's Funeral

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 one and only chief rabbi, Jacob Joseph, the eminent Talmudist who had arrived from Europe to great fanfare 14 years earlier. All went well until the procession reached Grand and Sheriff Streets, where the huge R. Hoe and Co. printing press factory towered over the intersection. Its workers had a history of harassing Jewish passers-by.

Without warning, blocks of steel and wood, iron bolts, bottles and bricks, and torrents of hot water began raining down on the entourage from the building’s upper stories. Confusion quickly turned to fury as mourners retrieved the missiles and hurled them back at their attackers.

By the time the police appeared, the violence had subsided. But under orders from the inspector in charge, officers pulled out their billy clubs and began beating Jews. When it was over, people with heads bleeding were lying prostrate in the street. Hundreds were injured, some seriously.

To the Yiddish-language daily Forverts (Forward), the sordid event was nothing less than a pogrom. But this was America, not Russia, and Jews were now present in sufficient numbers and had sufficient political clout to fight back. By unifying, organizing and building alliances, the Jewish community deftly used its newfound influence to hold government accountable and bring those responsible to justice.

This book tells three related stories: the life of the city’s first and only chief rabbi; the single largest antisemitic incident in American history, measured by the number of people attacked and injured; and how the Jewish community used its political influence to pursue justice for the victims, setting a precedent that would be followed for decades.