This Jewish newspaper from 1938 depicts two conflicts that Jews in Seattle experienced during the Great Depression. The first thing emphasized on the front page of this newspaper is “Save Talmud Torah!”. While The Jewish Transcript title appears at the top of almost every Jewish Transcript newspaper during the Great Depression, this edition of the newspaper is significant because an article about saving the Talmud Torah school comes before the title of the newspaper. In the article, the author expresses his
anxiety towards the condition of Seattle’s Hebrew School; arguing that Jewish culture is at serious risk if people do not take care of the Hebrew School. Something else important about this front page of the newspaper is the article titled 1,000,000 Jews Tremble in Romania as Bigotry Rules. These two articles together depict how Jews in Seattle viewed local and global problems. While global antisemitism was on the minds of Jews internationally, Jews in Seattle were particularly concerned with keeping Jewish educational institutions running so that Jewish faith and culture could be preserved. The Jewish Transcript can be seen as a snapshot into the minds of Jews in Seattle during the Great Depression because the newspaper was from Seattle and included local and international stories.
This front page newspaper from 1937 emphasizes the anxiety Jews in Seattle experienced over antisemitism. During the Great Depression, the Jewish Transcript newspaper would write stories about global antisemitism on a weekly basis. As the title reads 3,000,000 Jews Sit-Down On Strike Against Bigotry, it shows the extent to which Jews around the world were afraid of the pressures mounting against Judaism. These two newspaper articles are important because they allow the modern reader to better understand how Jews in Seattle felt during the Great Depression. In response to money being tight and global antisemitism, Jews in Seattle wrote newspaper articles educating people about global antisemitism and urging people to support schools that would help preserve Jewish culture. Antisemitism influenced education in Seattle as Jewish leaders in Seattle believed it was important for Jewish children to understand the problems that faced Jews in America. During this time period, Jews did not yet feel at home in America and education was seen as way to help integrate Jewish children into American life. Additionally, antisemitism threatened the existence of Judaism and religious school helped ensure that Jewish children would not lose touch with the Jewish faith. For these reasons, Jewish leaders did as much as they could to keep Jewish children enrolled in schools.