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I Say...intmcnt of Joo N. Morris to the Circuit atter of quiet satisfaction to old-timers, p with the Jewish community of Greater its inception. Judge Morris, to be sure, is first nor the only Jewish official to hold of honor and trust in Dade County. The enough to be impressive. Yet this pleasing ; may be a seismograph and calls for ?nt.Days:ly more than half a century since Miami rated into a municipality. The pioneer n came by boat before the new settlement Do. before the FEC Railway had completed connecting Palm Beach with Biscayne Bay, Desnakcs slithered across the winding dirt [is now Flagler Street, when battalions of (S and dragon flies attacked the new arrivals yells on their arms and faces. Mr. Cohen, Ixer, had that happy faculty of adjustment abled him to lake an active part in the tocial and fraternal life of the budding town. j Prejudicesequent arrivals found the welcome neither nor too hearty. In fact as the town grew, li-Jewish trends were manifest. This runs the general practice that obtains in new It is understandable how an old city, with crests entrenched for generations, would new-comers, who might challenge the es-order. who might offer competition to the lass, who might undercut and take jobs resident workers. But it is difficult to why a new settlement in need of people ject to the influx of a sober, industrious, ng class. Yet the fact remains when the h of Jewish pioneers came to drop their s into the fantastic land boom, they en-more hostile Gentile Ofily signs than any-the continent.Oscillation Of Anti-Semitism In Greater MiamiCarl G. FisherStrangely enough, Jewish or Gentile settlers coming from environments that had tolerant religious traditions often experienced anti-Semitism for the first time. According to Mr. Cohen, there was little or no prejudice during Miami's infancy. It seems to have been introduced by shallow bumptious Realtors. The worst offender was Carl G. Fisher, who during n drunken orgy bought a sizable tract of Miami Beach acreage. The Indianapolis inventor of the Prest-O-Lltc battery had to become a developer of real estate or lose his investment. He sold anti-Semitism together with his lots. Pi osperity following the first world war smiled upon him. His phenomenal success was the inspiration to other subdividers. If anti-Semitism paid Carl Fisher then such a policy was also good enough for them.The Land Boom Judeophobia soon reached its climax. In 1925, the anti-Semitic kettle, that was kept boiling fora decade by the Fishers and the Pancoasts, their jackals and stooges, finally exploded. The Jewish binder boys were taken for a ride in the shabby deal on Seminole Beach, an ocean front subdivision belonging to Mr. Roney. But the boom bubble that burst also boom-eranged. Gentile as well as Jewish capital was swept away in the malestrom. It became obvious even to bigots that a policy of malice and hatred was not good business. In a sober moment Mr. Fisher, broke and repentant, once told the late Harry I. Lipton that he was not anti-Jcwish; only the bankers forced him to adopt anti-Semitic measures.Lights and Shadows in the 1930s The first evidence of a rift in local anti-Semitism was the election of Baron de Hirsch Meyer to the city council of Miami Beach. Yet objectionable signs were still brazenly flaunted, even after MitchellBy HARRY SIMONHOFFWolfson became mayor. A diminishing number of hotels continued to practice exclusion under the ambiguous masthead Restricted Clientele. From 1935 onwards, a resurgence of pre-boom Judeophobia was again felt. Under Nazi inspiration or fund spreading, a crop of small-time, would-be Hitlers led by W. G. Blanchard. Jr. and Martin J. Healey emulated the Charles Coughlens and the Gerald L. K. Smiths. The movement began to reach uncomfortable proportions when World War II highlighted the perils of Hitlerism, and broke organized anti-Semitism in the U. S.Encouragement When peace finally came. Jewish residents become the majority on Miami Beach. With five Jewish C’ouncilmen out of seven, the last vestiges ol open anti-Semitism were swept away. Yet in the City of Miami the question of discrimination was still debatable. But in 1950. the election of Louie Bandel demonstrated that a Jewish candidate to the City Commission could be elected by an overwhelming Gentile vote.ApprehensionsIt would be a comfort to feel that the appointment of Judge Morris by Governor Warren, following the approval of Dade County Bar Association, heralds the end of religious intolerance in our metropolis. But thoughtful people are disturbed and apprehensive. Miami Beach is truly the finest resort city in the world. It offers a variety of amusements, a choice of delicious foods, the most delightful winter surf anywhere. Its hotels are the last word in elegance and swank. But Gentile prejudice prefers to by-pass this earthly paradise. For entertainment or hospitality. the dominant majority continues to select outmoded hotels as if concerned only with avoiding all contact with tourists or residents of the Jewish faith.
Newspaper Details
Miami Jewish Floridian
Miami, Florida, US
Fri, Jan 12, 1951
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Nick N.
NA, 17 May 2024
Other Publications Near Miami, Florida
Miami Jewish Floridian
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