older German element and the newer Russians, the banker carved out a
unique position. In his later years, according to a longtime associate in
philanthropic affairs, “this benevolent looking, soberly dressed, mild-
mannered yet very dignified... gentleman” commanded a respect un-
matched by others. “His appearance at a board meeting invariably caused a
quiet stir and a sudden hush in the conversation, in deference not merely to
his great wealth... but because of an aristocratic quality in his personality
that palpably, yet subtly, distinguished him... from them.”^13
Not that the banker escaped criticism; that was the price of leadership,
he philosophized. His quick tongue and temper tended to exacerbate any
friction. True, some of his primary goals, like unrestricted immigration and
relief for Russian Jewry, won overwhelming Jewish support; but other
undertakings and his methods in particular were subject to attack by some
of his social peers as well as the rank and file. Department store mogul Na-
than Straus, for example, often said that Schiff’s pretensions to leadership
were predicated on the philosophy of “rule or ruin” and did damage to
Jewish interests. Louis Ginzberg the talmudist, who knew Schiff from his
association with the Jewish Theological Seminary, was another bitter
critic. Calling Schiff a “great financier and small man,” he commented on
Schiff’s “stupidity” in believing that his large contributions to Jewish insti-
tutions made him “the rightful owner of American Jewry” and the match-
ing stupidity of American Jews for seeking advice on major Jewish issues
from a Wall Street banker. Ginzberg’s close friend, Henrietta Szold, shared
those sentiments even though she acknowledged that Schiff’s intimate as-
sociates thought of him “as a truly large- and warm-hearted man.”^14 Stub-
born but sensitive, Schiff defended himself at times to his critics, espe-
cially those whom he respected or whose influence he feared, but he never
apologized.
By the 1890s, Schiff was recognized in Europe not only as a powerful
banker and leader of American Jewry but as a major participant in deliber-
ations concerning world Jewry. His frequent business trips to England,
France, and Germany and an active correspondence with prominent Euro-
pean Jewish leaders provided opportunities to be seen and heard on Jewish
affairs. In 1890 an international conference on Jewish immigration met in
Paris at his suggestion; in 1897 he addressed the Anglo-Jewish Association
in London. His reputation in Europe soared, particularly after his support
of Japan in the Russo-Japanese War. Edward VII received him in 1904, and
the German kaiser granted him an audience in 1911.^15 The banker’s Jewish
network widened, encompassing rabbinic along with lay figures and ex-
tending to eastern Europe and Palestine, and Jews throughout the world
learned his name.
46 Jacob H. Schiff