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The Congressional Minyan: The Jews Of Capitol Hill

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Since the moment that Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman was announced as the Democratic nominee for Vice President, the subject of Jews in American politics has become an exceedingly hot topic. Now, even as that interest is reaching a crescendo, comes Kurt Stone's "The Congressional Minyan: The Jews of Capitol Hill." -- a work as sweeping as America itself. Here, for the first time in one 580-page, double-columned work, are the stories of all 179 Jewish men and women who have served in the United States House and Senate. These 179 legislators, nicknamed by the author "The Congressional Minyan," are a highly diverse and accomplished group. Hailing from New York and Nebraska, Poland and Palestine, they have played an indelible -- though often unbilled -- role on the American political stage. The cast of "The Congressional Minyan" is a microcosm of America, made up of Democrats and Republicans, Whigs and Socialists, radicals and reactionaries. The "Minyan" includes children of poverty and heirs to great fortunes; Harvard-trained physicians and self-taught attorneys; Rhodes Scholars and high school graduates; statesmen and scoundrels. Some were so unrecognizable in their Jewishness as to be all but invisible. Others, like Joseph Lieberman, Peter Deutsch and Robert Wexler (who wrote the book's introduction) are steeped in the rituals and practices of their common ancestors. Though largely unknown, the 179 members of "The Congressional Minyan" have helped shape the course and nature of America through a vast body of successful legislative measures. Within the pages of "The Congressional Minyan" you will meet: * Senator Joseph Lieberman, the son of a liquor-store owner who is now on center stage. * Representative Henry Ellenbogen, the man who created the 30-year mortgage. * Senator Judah P. Benjamin, the Louisiana Whig who served as Jefferson Davis' Secretary of State and wound up as Counsel to Queen Victoria. * Senator Ernest Gruening, the first solon to publicly oppose the war in Vietnam. * Representative Victor Berger, a Wisconsin Socialist who, despite serving a term in Leavenworth, was reelected by the voters of his district. * Representative Leo Isacson, a member of the Progressive Labor Party, whose first words on the House floor were "I AM A JEW!" Kurt F. Stone's work is a monumental blend of biography, politics, and American history. At once anecdotal and entertaining, scholarly and richly detailed, "The Congressional Minyan" is a groundbreaking work of political biography. More than ten years in the making, containing nearly 100 personal interviews, dozens of photographs and a complete archive for potential biographers, "The Congressional Minyan" covers Congress from A(bzug) to Z(orinsky).

Since the moment that Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman was announced as the Democratic nominee for Vice President, the subject of Jews in American politics has become an exceedingly hot topic.

Author:Kurt F. Stone, Ktav, 2000
Type:Hardcover

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