Rafael Medoff (born 1959) is an American professor of

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

and the founding director of The David Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, which is based in Washington, D.C. and focuses on issues related to America's response to the Holocaust.

Academic career

Medoff received his PhD from

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1991. In 2001 he was

visiting scholar In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

in Jewish Studies at the State University of New York at Purchase.Holocaust Denial: A Global Survey – 2004
Wymaninstitute.org. Retrieved on 2013-02-21. Medoff has taught

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, Purchase College of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

, and elsewhere. Medoff has served on the editorial boards of '' American Jewish History'', ''Southern Jewish History'', ''Shofar'' and ''Menorah Review''. He has been closely associated and Academic Council member of American Jewish Historical Society for many years. He has served on its Academic Council since 1995, authored installments of its "Chapters in American Jewish History" series, and served as associate

book review A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, an opinion piece, a summary review, or a scholarly view. B ...

editor (1999–2001) and then associate editor (2002–2006) of its scholarly journal, ''American Jewish History''. He has also served as a consultant to the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and the Jewish Historical Society of Maryland.

Views

Medoff has accused the U.S. State Department of downplaying official antisemitism in the Arab world, and made comparisons with State Department's downplaying of official German antisemitism in the 1930s.

Publications and media

Books

Medoff is the author or editor of 16 books about American Jewish history, Zionism, and the Holocaust. His first book, ''The Deafening Silence: American Jewish Leaders and the Holocaust'', was published in 1987 by Shapolsky Books, the U.S. division of the Israeli publisher Steimatzky. The Association of Jewish Libraries called it "a damning book that cannot be ignored" and "an important contribution to the study of the Holocaust period." His essays and reviews have appeared in many scholarly journals.

Zionism and American Jewish history

Medoff's ''Zionism and the Arabs: An American Jewish Dilemma, 1898–1948'' was published by Praeger in 1997. Jerold S. Auerbach from '' American Jewish History'' praised it as:

"a meticulously researched and carefully crafted analysis ...Any historian of the complex relationship of American Jews and Israel, indeed every serious student of American Jewish history, must confront the American Jewish dilemma that Rafael Medoff has explored and explained in this fine monograph."

Lawrence Davidson of West Chester University cites Medoff's assertion in Zionism and the Arabs, that Zionists did not see the Palestinian Arabs as "a distinct national group with national rights-largely because the Palestinian Arabs themselves did not claim the status of a specific national grouping", to argue against Zionism on the grounds that "no one ruled against self- determination in other parts of Greater Syria where the same views prevailed." He coauthored the ''Historical Dictionary of Zionism'' with Prof. Chaim I. Waxman, published by

Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

in 2000, with a revised and expanded edition in 2008. A reviewer for ''

Choice A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate Motivation, motivators and Choice modelling, models. Freedom of choice is generally cherished, whereas a severely limited or arti ...

'' magazine called it "thorough and objective", and a reviewer for the ''

Israel Studies Bulletin The ''Israel Studies Review'' is a Peer review, peer-reviewed academic journal published on behalf of the Association for Israel Studies by Berghahn Books and covering the study of all aspects of Israeli society, society, History of Israel, histor ...

'' described it as "useful both for reference and course work ... user-friendly ... The authors have filled many gaps left by the standard histories of Zionism." ''Baksheesh Diplomacy: Secret Negotiations Between American Jewish Leaders and Arab Officials on the Eve of World War II'', was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2001.

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...

's reviewer called it:

"a splendid exemplar of scholarship ... equally suitable for academicians and the general public ... Medoff deserves praise for elucidating with great charm and authenticity the doomed efforts of an important segment of American Jewry to rescue persecuted European Jews and avert Arab-Israel conflict.

His next book ''Militant Zionism in America: The Rise and Impact of the Jabotinsky Movement in the United States, 1926–1948'', published by the

University of Alabama Press The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within Al ...

in 2002.

Middle East Quarterly The Middle East Forum (MEF) is an American conservative 501(c)(3) think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes, who now serves as its chairman. Gregg Roman serves as director of the forum. MEF became an independent non-profit organization in 19 ...

's reviewer wrote:

"Militant Zionism in America has the freshness and immediacy of the archival sources and interviews that massively support its argument; and it adds another cubit to the stature of one of our preeminent historians of Zionism."

Books about the Holocaust

Medoff's textbook, ''Jewish Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook'', published by ABC-CLIO in 2002, was named an "Outstanding Academic Title of 2002" by the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

's ''

'' magazine. Medoff and

David S. Wyman David Sword Wyman (6 March 1929 – 14 March 2018) was the Josiah DuBois professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.yveteran chroniclers of America's shameful inaction during the Holocaust." The Jerusalem Post hailed it as "a must-read for Jewish leaders the world over, as well as for committed Jews and anyone interested in the response of American Jewry to the Holocaust." In response to the publication of A Race Against Death, officials of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington, D.C., announced that they would add materials about the Bergson Group to the museum's permanent exhibit. In ''The Deafening Silence'', Medoff argues that had American Jewish leaders been more forceful in presenting the case for rescue of European Jews to the Roosevelt administration, they could have moved the administration to act. In

Deborah Lipstadt Deborah Esther Lipstadt (born March 18, 1947) is an American historian and diplomat, best known as author of the books ''Denying the Holocaust'' (1993), ''History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier'' (2005), ''The Eichmann Trial'' ...

's review of Holocaust literature, she engages Medoff's argument, but concludes that "There is nothing on record to indicate that their outspoken support would have changed the mind of restrictionist legislators." Together with former New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch, Medoff in 2008 coauthored ''The Koch Papers: My Fight Against Anti-Semitism'', published by Palgrave MacMillan. It was named to the New York Post's "Required Reading" list. The ''Forward'' wrote: "The legendary former New York City mayor has never been shy about standing up for his fellow Jews. The hallmark of Koch's approach to this issue, as his book demonstrates, is a determination to confront bigotry—with steadfastness and an insistent sense of urgency." Also in 2008, Purdue University Press published his book ''Blowing the Whistle on Genocide: Josiah E. DuBois, Jr. and the Struggle for a U.S. Response to the Holocaust''. The National Jewish Post and Opinion wrote: "Blowing the Whistle on Genocide brings to life an inspiring but little-known chapter of Holocaust history."

Essays

In 2008, Medoff authored "Rav Chesed: The Life and Times of Haskel Lookstein", a lengthy biographical essay published as a paperback by Ktav. Subsequently, an updated version of that book was included in the two-volume Rav Chesed: Essays in Honor of Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, which Medoff edited, and was published by Ktav in 2009. He authored installments of American Jewish Historical Society's "Chapters in American Jewish History" series, and served as associate book review editor (1999–2001) and then associate editor (2002–2006) of its scholarly journal, ''American Jewish History''. Medoff's essays have appeared in various

scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...

ly journals, including ''Studies in Zionism'', '' Holocaust and Genocide Studies'', the '' Journal of Genocide Research'', '' American Jewish History'', and '' American Jewish Archives''. He also served as guest editor for the autumn 2004 issue of the ''Journal of Ecumenical Studies''. He authored the essay "New Yorkers and the Birth of Israel", which was featured in the May 1998 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' supplement commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of Israel. Medoff has also published op-eds concerning the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

and related issues in such newspapers as the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', the '' Baltimore Sun'', the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'', ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', the '' New York Sun'', '' Ha'aretz'', the '' Jerusalem Report'', the '' Jerusalem Post'', and Germany's largest daily newspaper, ''

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest and most influential daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of ''SZ'' is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and ...

''. Medoff currently writes a weekly column for Ami (magazine).

Encyclopedia articles

He has authored entries for numerous encyclopedias and reference books, including the ''

Encyclopaedia Judaica The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a multi-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, Judaism, and Israel. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, Jewish holida ...

'', the ''Encyclopedia of the Diaspora'', the ''Encyclopedia of American Jewish History'', the ''Columbia History of the Jewish People in America'', '' American National Biography'', the ''Global Encyclopedia of Historical Writing'', and ''Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia''.

Cartoons and comics

Reflecting his interest in the use of cutting-edge media to teach about the Holocaust, Medoff collaborated with comic book artist

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

on a comic book about the experiences of Dina Gottliebova Babbitt, a Holocaust survivor who attempted to regain paintings she did for

Josef Mengele Josef Mengele (; 16 March 19117 February 1979) was a Nazi German (SS) officer and physician during World War II at the Russian front and then at Auschwitz during the Holocaust, often dubbed the "Angel of Death" (). He performed Nazi hum ...

in order to survive in Auschwitz. It was published in '' X-Men: Magneto: Testimony'' #5, in early 2009. On the seventieth anniversary of the voyage of the refugee ship St. Louis, Medoff collaborated with

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning cartoonist

Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...

on a full-page cartoon history of the voyage, published in the Washington Post in June 2009. Medoff also teamed up with comic book artist Sal Amendola on a full-page political cartoon about U.S. athletes who boycotted the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which appeared in ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

'' in August 2008. In addition, Medoff served as a consultant to ''Homeland'', a graphic novel telling the history of Israel's creation, by comic book veterans Marv Wolfman and Mario Ruiz. In 2010, Medoff and comics creator

teamed with Disney Educational Productions to produce ''They Spoke Out: American Voices Against the Holocaust'', an online educational motion comics series that tells stories of Americans who protested Nazis or helped rescue Jews during the Holocaust. Each standalone episode, which runs from five to ten minutes, utilizes a combination of archival film footage and animatics, and focus on a different person. The first episode, "La Guardia's War Against Hitler" was screened in April 2010 at a festival sponsored by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, and tells the story of the forceful stand New York City Mayor

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry La Guardia (born Fiorello Raffaele Enrico La Guardia; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as the 99th mayor of New Yo ...

took against Nazi Germany, in contrast to that of President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, whom most historians feel did not do all he could have to save European Jews, a point underlined in the episode "Messenger from Hell". Other episodes include "Voyage of the Doomed", which focuses on the ''S.S. St. Louis'', the ship that carried more than 900 German-Jewish refugees but was turned away by Cuban authorities and later the Roosevelt administration, and "Rescue Over the Mountains", which depicts Varian Fry, the young journalist who led an underground rescue network that smuggled Jewish refugees out of Vichy, France. Medoff has served as a consultant to a number of television and movie projects, including ''Holocaust: The Untold Story'', (Freedom Forum Television Network / Newseum TV), which was broadcast on The History Channel in 2001 and nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy Award; ''Against the Tide'', produced by the

Simon Wiesenthal Center The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a Jewish human rights organization established in 1977 by Rabbi Marvin Hier. The center is known for Holocaust research and remembrance, hunting Nazi war criminals, combating antisemitism, tolerance educati ...

's Moriah Films; ''In Our Own Hands: The Hidden Story of the Jewish Brigade in World War II''; and ''Looking into the Face of Evil'', produced by the Ohio Council on Holocaust Education; as well as programs concerning the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, for Israel Television and Italian National Television.

Bibliography

*The Deafening Silence: American Jewish Leaders and the Holocaust (New York: Shapolsky Publishers, 1987) *''Zionism and the Arabs: An American Jewish Dilemma'', 1898–1948, 1997, Greenwood Publishing Group *"Historical Dictionary of Zionism" oauthored with Chaim I. Waxman(Scarecrow Press, 2000 revised and expanded edition, 2008) *''Baksheesh Diplomacy: Secret Negotiations Between American Jewish Leaders and Arab Officials on the Eve of World War II'', 2001, Lexington Books *"Jewish Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook" (ABC-CLIO, 2002) Named an "Outstanding Academic Title of 2002" by the American Library Association's Choice Magazine * ''A Race Against Death: Peter Bergson, America, and the Holocaust'', with David S. Wyman (The New Press, 2002) * ''Militant Zionism in America: The Rise and Impact of the Jabotinsky Movement'', University of Alabama Press, 2002 *"Rav Chesed: The Life and Times of Haskel Lookstein" (Hoboken, New Jersey: Ktav, 2008) * "The Koch Papers: My Fight Against Anti-Semitism" (with Edward I. Koch). New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2008 *"Rav Chesed: Essays in Honor of Rabbi Dr. Haskel Lookstein" (ed.) (Hoboken, New Jersey: Ktav, 2009) *''Blowing the Whistle on Genocide: Josiah E. DuBois, Jr and the Struggle for an American Response to the Holocaust'' (2009) *'' The Jews Should Keep Quiet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, and the Holocaust'' (2019)

References

External links

The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medoff, Rafael Living people Historians of Jews and Judaism American historians of the Holocaust American Zionists Writers on Zionism Yeshiva University alumni Ohio State University faculty State University of New York at Purchase faculty 1959 births