Bulletin Issued by the Executive Committee- I. O. B. B. (Independent Order of B'nai B'rith) March, 1908
No Binding
1908 · [New York?]
[New York?]: B'nai B'rith, 1908. No Binding. Near Fine. octavo, 16 pp., issued with out wrappers, a very good, very clean copy. A front-page Editorial concerns 19 year-old Jeremiah Averbuch, who was killed at the home of the Chicago Chief of Police, allegedly during an Anarchist attempt to assassinate the official. The young man's sister protested that he was an honest young man, about to move to Iowa, who had gone to the Chief's house merely to obtain a ""certificate of good character"" which he could use in seeking new employment in the Midwest. B'nai B'rith dated to the 1840s, but it was not until 1913 that the Jewish fraternal organization established an Anti-Defamation League to protest anti-Semitism in various areas of American life. B'nai B'rith did not assert that such prejudice was behind this case, quoting in detail the account by the Chief of Police, but rather feared that such incidents would fuel pending ""restrictive"" immigration laws intended to halt ""the tremendous human stream which annually pours through the gates of Ellis Island"" - a misguided effort to ""keep out of this land criminals and dangerous classes"", but actually barring ""honest and law abiding people who want to come here either to better their lot or are compelled to flee from persecution."" Apparently rare. It's difficult to determine whether such Bulletins were issued regularly, as WorldCat seems to show no listings for any of the issues. (Inventory #: 030191)