Cassel said, “but be a good one.” Although Schiff functioned as a steward
rather than an absolute dictator, leadership to him meant elitist control. To
be sure, greatness often came “from accident or favors,” and it carried with
it “the realization of greater responsibilities on our part toward others.”
But at the same time, it “lifts us above the multitude.” In many ways similar
to the behavior of the Gentile American establishment, elitist leadership
was nurtured in Schiff’s case by a family tradition of public service, a sense
of noblesse oblige, and a forceful personality. Wealth certainly validated his
assumption of power, but his voice would have been heard, admittedly to a
lesser degree, even without his personal fortune. After all, neither Marshall
nor Cyrus Adler, leaders in their own right, was considered wealthy.^5
No matter how naturally leadership came to Schiff, the man depended
on the cooperation of friends. His most important ally was Louis Marshall,
a prominent attorney who was equally committed to Schiff’s agenda. Mar-
shall planned policy and strategy with the banker, and he was the principal
resource for questions of law. Another trusted and respected adviser was
the scholar and communal worker Cyrus Adler. Used by Schiff for his
knowledge of Judaism and Jewish history, Adler often suggested which ed-
ucational and cultural institutions deserved the banker’s support. Despite
strict formality—it was always “Mr. Schiff,” “Mr. Marshall,” and “Dr.
Adler”—the three worked closely together. There was never a question of
who was most important, and Marshall and Adler consistently deferred to
Schiff. They watched his moods and learned how to best couch any differ-
ences of opinion that they might have entertained. Their loyalty, the trait
that Schiff valued most in associates, was boundless.
Besides Marshall and Adler there were other Jews on whom Schiff relied
for their particular strengths or expertise: Oscar Straus, three-time envoy
to Turkey and secretary of commerce and labor under Theodore Roose-
velt, who enjoyed entrée into government circles; Judah Magnes, the
young rabbi who was trusted by the masses and who often bridged the gap
between the uptown Germans and the downtown eastern Europeans;
Mayer Sulzberger, a Philadelphia judge, who combined a broad knowledge
of Jewish affairs and a personal interest in Jewish learning with a common
sense approach to issues. If Schiff was the “heart” of American Jewry, Israel
Zangwill once wrote, the wise Sulzberger was “at its head.”^6 Still others
called into service were Jewish journalists, congressmen, and social work
experts. The banker was usually acquainted with those he tapped; if he
wasn’t, he made it his business to learn about them.
Schiff’s authority developed independently of any power base, such as
an organization or a synagogue. Independence in turn strengthened his be-
lief in control of the community from the top down. Unconcerned with the
problem of democratic leadership before 1900, he and his friends ignored
issues like popular representation in policy making, open deliberations
Leadership and Philanthropy 43