Haym Salomon Not Entitled to Monument: Bombshell Thrown at American Jewry by Prominent Jewish Worker

The movement for erecting a monument to Haym Salomon, the first Jewish immigrant to America from Poland, in recognition of his services to the cause of American Independence (the date for the ceremony of laying the corner-stone of the monument was fixed last month by the National Conference of the Haym Salomon Monument Committee for Independence Day, July 4th.), has received a severe blow to-day by the publication of a pamphlet by Mr. Max J. Kohler, one of the members of the Executive of the American Jewish Committee, denying on the strength of historical documents that Haym Salomon was a great patriot, or that he contributed money to the cause of the American War of Independence. Even Salomon’s relatives, when they learned the true historical facts, he says stopped claiming from the American Government the return of the money which Salomon was supposed to have lent the American Government for the purpose of carrying on the liberation struggle. Furthermore, the relatives, according to Mr. Kohler, asked the Federation of Polish Jews in America, which is sponsoring the Salomon movement, to discontinue the campaign, but the Federation ignored the request.

The publication of the pamphlet is regarded as a severe blow to the movement which has been carried on for some years to obtain recognition for Salomon, and Mr. Kohler’s action is described in some quarters as tactless, inasmuch as three American Presidents, Presidents Taft, Coolidge, and Hoover, have given their official support to the movement for erecting a monument to Salomon.

Mr. Max J. Kohler, who is a son of the famous American Reform Rabbi and scholar, the late Rabbi Dr. Kaufman Kohler, is a prominent lawyer. He has held the position of Special U.S. District Attorney for New York and has appeared as Counsel in many important cases. He has often appeared on behalf of liberal immigration laws before the Commissions of Congress. He is an authority on the history of the Jews in America, and has written a great deal on the subject. He was the honorary secretary of the National Commission on the Celebration of the 250th. Anniversary of the Settlement of the Jews in the U.S. Among his works is one on "Judah P. Benjamin, Statesman and Jurist", one of the most famous Jewish figures in American history.

Haym Salomon, who was born at Lissa, Poland, in 1740, left Poland after the partition of 1772. He settled in New York and according to the data made public in connection with the movement for the erection of the projected Salomon monument, identified himself during the revolution with the American cause. He was arrested and imprisoned as a spy in September 1776 soon after the British occupation of New York. A report of the United States Senate Committee made in 1850 says that Salomon "gave great assistance to the Government by loans of money, advancing liberally of his means to sustain the men engaged in the struggle for independence at a time when the sinews of war were essential to success". The matter was brought before Congress in 1925 when Congressman Mooney introduced a resolution demanding that a monument should be erected in memory of Haym Salemon. Haym Salomon, his resolution said, lent and contributed to the Government, the army, and the officers during the critical period a sum exceeding 700,000 dollars, for which he received in return not one dollar either in capital or in interest. Salomon was reduced on account of his patriotism from a rich man to a pauper at the time of his death, the resolution proceeded, concluding by stating that "the best way to implant into the American youth the highest degree of patriotism is by accentuating the respect and appreciation of the Government for such patriots who make sacrifices like those of Haym Salomon".

President Hoover, writing to the National Conference of the Haym Salomon Monument Committee held on February 24th. said that "the noble and disinterested services of Salomon deserve the undying gratitude of all Americans. The aid of his financial genius," the President went on, "was of critical importance in the revolutionary struggle, and it is indeed fitting that these services should be commemorated with an enduring monument."