Book Julius rosenwald

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series a portrait Julius Rosenwald a humble retail magnate whose visionary ideas about charitable giving transformed the practice of philanthropy in America and beyond Winner of the gold medal in the 2019 Axiom book awards Memoir Biography category Julius Rosenwald 1862 1932 rose from modest means as the son of a peddler to meteoric wealth at the helm of Sears Roebuck Yet his most important legacy stands not upon his business acumen but on the pioneering changes he introduced to the practice of philanthropy While few now recall Rosenwald s name he refused to have it attached to the buildings projects or endowments he supported his passionate support of Jewish and African American causes continues to influence lives to this day This biography of Julius Rosenwald explores his attitudes toward his own wealth and his distinct ideas about philanthropy positing an intimate connection between his Jewish consciousness and his involvement with African Americans The book shines light on his belief in the importance of giving in the present to make an impact on the future and on his encouragement of beneficiaries to become partners in community institutions and projects Rosenwald emerges from the pages as a compassionate man whose generosity and wisdom transformed the practice of philanthropy itself About Jewish Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature religion philosophy politics cultural and economic life and the arts and sciences Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present In 2014 the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award the first series ever to receive this award More praise for Jewish Excellent New York Times Exemplary Wall Street Journal Distinguished New Yorker Superb The Guardian Julius Rosenwald Repairing the World Jewish Lives Julius Rosenwald helped to shape the nature of philanthropy in America His process especially his views on endowments was fascinating to learn The book was extremely repetitive however and therefore a little boring to read Hasia R Diner Julius Rosenwald by Hasia Diner is an excellent book I heard the author make a presentation on the book at the Hagley Library in Delaware I purchased the book but during this pandemic have had the time to read and enjoy it As a person who grew up in New York City I was familiar with the Jewish community As a race and ethnic scholar I knew much about the Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe that begins in the 1880s I knew these people were aided by Jewish immigrants and their descendants from an earlier era many from Central Europe places that would become Germany Julius Rosenwald born in 1862 was the son of such immigrants who used their skills and peddlers and were able to make a place in the textile industry in America Working with family connections Julius who never finished high school is able to benefits from economic opportunities industrialization in textile industry improvements in train lines and the fact that American could consume than people in other nations He joins with a partner and invest in Sears Roebuck and over time is the sole owner as he markets to wider audiences His timing was perfect because the post office directly delivered mail to the public so they did not have to travel into town to get their packages Sear Roebuck catalogs made securing consumer goods easy for the public and Rosenwald made millions expanding the warehouse in Chicago and other cities The core of the book is about Julius Rosenwald s Jewish identify and what he did with his money I grew up in NYC but never really grasped the different Jewish religious communities Perhaps because I grew up with many young people who were either Reform or fairly secular Yet Diner provides a context for understanding these different groups in the late 19th and early 20th centuries Jewish immigrants especially Rosenwald s parents enjoyed racial privilege but Anti Semitism was a constant He was able to go into business without a lot of education and make money Yet he was cognizant of his people s precarious status both in the United States and abroad His charity was to support many who arrived and knew poverty but also to promote both the retention of Jewish traditions and their integration into American society Rather than being separate the Jewish people had to be part of the wider society and assume responsibly for its betterment He gave generously but was very specific about the causes He was not a supporter of Zionism but did support uniting different segments of the Jewish community in betterment efforts He gave to the University of Chicago because they did not have quotas which was common for many universities during his time He would also support Black students at that university and pushed the school to accept them His plan was to always have his money run out so his legacy is forgotten by those who were not directly touch or know the stories I learned about Rosenwald though the history of Black Education when I was in graduate school and teaching part time I got this course because someone was going to teach it and could not Yet over two years I really claimed it as my own finding reading that were appropriate for undergraduate students So I knew about the Rosenwald schools that Julius Rosenwald funding in the South from Henry Allen Bullock s History of Negro Education in the South 1964 When states were not providing an education for Black children Rosenwald stepped in and helped of course they followed his formula of matching donation The schools never had his name but the community members knew the history Rosenwald s introduction to supporting Black causes is through Booker T Washington and Tuskegee Institute now University He gave support to that college and also encouraged others with money to do so He also looked at the lack of schooling in rural areas As always he did not believe in outright charity but people had to match his support with funds or labor Bullock noted the importance in organizing these communities and their ownership of the schools As the same time Rosenwald pushed the wider communities to assume responsibility for curriculum and funding Other Black schools were church or private charity Although the schools were segregated this is the beginning of creating opportunities for educating people who would expand their demands for change over time Rosenwald also funded Black YMCAs which were segregated but essential services as people migrated to northern cities where they lacked housing recreational facilities and safe gathering spaces He began in Chicago but offers funding the YMCAs in other cities when they match funds A Lelia Bundles writes about how her grandmother Madam C. Book Julius rosenwald J Walker made matching donations In Indianapolis and other cities which was a way of demonstrating her own wealth and commitment to bettering the race Rosenwald s thinking about race reflected the prejudice and discrimination model So that people who improved as even the Jewish immigrants and to pull themselves up with the aid of kinsmen they could gain acceptance Thus his actions for the Black community were not revolutionary in our terms but challenged the White supremacy that dominated the thinking In these days of eugenic and the survival of the fittest the state made no investment in the Black community Rosenwald supports institutions and pushes the state to act Of course his actions were resented by many Southerners but the schools and the YMCAs flourished Having educated members of the race made a difference Rosenwald also supported the education of individual scholars like Ernest Everett Just and artists Rosenwald dies in 1932 but his foundation continued to support important causes in the Jewish community and the Black community Many individuals were able to advance because of his funding It did not mean that other door automatically opened but an education was a way to made economic advances I had some of the puzzle pieces but reading this book enabled me to see the larger context and appreciate how Rosenwald s support for schools housing projects YMCAs libraries and health care enabled the Black community to make greater progress in the 20th century Hasia R Diner Julius Rosenwald was the son of an immigrant peddler His family was part of a wave of Jewish immigrants who arrived from central Europe in the mid nineteenth century He is most well known for building Sears and Roebuck into a colossal retail enterprise Rosenwald was influenced by the Jewish progressive movement in Chicago led by Rabbi Emil Hirsch He donated one third of his fabulous wealth to charity Tikkun Olam acts of altruism to correct injustice in the world is an ancient Jewish tradition and JR embodied it He was especially attentive to the needs of poor African Americans funding almost 5000 elementary schools to serve them in southern states He believed that America needed to improve the living conditions of its poorest inhabitants in order to assume moral standing in the world Unfortunately his name and deeds are not widely remembered Hasia R Diner Rosenwald embraced the jewish directive tikun olam repair the world He used 1 3 of his wealth to make the world a better place with a special focus on African Americans Hasia R Diner Julius Rosenwald Repairing the World by Hasia R Diner is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late August. Book Julius rosenwald schools Where this could have been a book about a spotlight shy philanthropist Diner chooses to spend a greater amount of time on a full scope analysis of his decisions made during particular pivot points in American culture Instead it s a fine well and good story about Rosenwald buying and improving Sears Roebuck working to retain long term employees shunning endowments and funding Rosenwald schools that teach vocations and college readiness classes at YMCA and YWCAs Tuskegee University the Urban League and fellowships for African American scholars Hasia R Diner