June 26, 1944
The 1944 Republican National Convention in Chicago takes place during the first wartime U.S. presidential campaign since the Civil War. The Republican presidential nominee is New York Gov. Thomas Dewey, who favors establishing a Jewish state in Palestine. His overt support captures the attention of Zionists in Palestine and of American Jewry at a time when Zionism does not have wide support among American Jews. Organizations such as the American Council for Judaism and elements of the Reform movement are staunchly opposed to a Jewish state.
In 1943, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver founded the America Zionist Emergency Council (AZEC), which became American Zionism’s political arm. He is aware that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who is seeking re-election, is ambivalent about a Jewish state in Palestine. To ensure the White House’s support for Zionism, Silver knows that he needs support from the Republican and Democratic parties. He works closely with Dewey toward that end.
Silver delivers the invocation at the Republican convention and later says: “I hope that the Democratic Party at its convention in July will likewise adopt a strong pro-Palestine plan. … I believe that these political conventions will pave the way for early and favorable action on the Palestine resolutions when Congress reconvenes.”
The Democratic National Convention does follow the Republican lead and endorse unrestricted Jewish immigration to Palestine and ultimately the establishment of a Jewish state there.
