2
Leadership and Philanthropy
Elitist LeadershipWhile Schiff built up his financial empire, he was simultaneously establish-
ing his position as the foremost leader of American Jewry. It was an unprec-
edented feat, particularly notable in a country where the forces of individu-
alism, localism, and pluralism militated against communal cohesiveness.
Equally impressive was the breadth of his goals: the defense of Jews and Ju-
daism, the unity of American Jews, and the integration of Jews into Ameri-
can society. Together they generated a myriad of issues encompassing vir-
tually all of Jewish life. But more than an ethnic broker or one who tried to
mediate the differences between the Jewish community and the host soci-
ety,^1 Schiff had a larger purpose. He labored to shape a collective Jewish
identity in tune with the modern era, an identity predicated on Jewish con-
tinuity even as it broke from ghetto life. How he approached communal
matters reflected his vision of the optimal survival of a religioethnic and
voluntaristic minority in a democracy. How well he succeeded depended
largely on the influence he wielded with the fragmented Jewish community
and with American decision makers. His unique strengths and tactics set
him apart from his contemporaries and in short order made him a pivotal
figure in world Jewish affairs as well.
For the better part of the nineteenth century, American Jewish leadership
was roughly divided between religious and secular agencies. On one side
were the prominent rabbis. Wielding power through prestigious syn-
agogues, combined at times with an influential periodical—Samuel M.
Isaacs of New York and the Jewish Messenger,Isaac Mayer Wise of Cincin-
nati and the American Israelite,Emil G. Hirsch of Chicago and the Reform
Advocate—they spoke for their members and commanded community-
wide recognition. On the other side, fast gaining the upper hand over the
41