Jacob Schiff - biography, success story, achievements and interesting facts

J. Schiff (full name: Jacob Henry Schiff) is an American Jewish banker, philanthropist and public figure. Many areas of life in the US, the second homeland of Schiff, were embraced by his colossal philanthropic activities. His attitude to tsarist Russia is given by historians: "personal war". The situation of the Jews in Russia Jacob Schiff compared with the disasters of their biblical ancestors in Egypt in times of great exodus.

Biography

Schiff Jacob Henry was born in 1847 in a distinguished family associated with the name of Rothschild. The father of the future banker was a rabbi. The young man received a good secular and religious education. In 1865, he emigrated to the United States, where he began working in a bank. In 1875, Jacob Schiff marries the daughter of one of the leaders of the bank Kuhn, Loeb & Co, enters into the case of the father-in-law and in 1885 becomes the bank manager. Under the leadership of Schiff, the institution's prosperity is growing, it becomes possible for it to participate in financing many large projects in various sectors of the economy. Schiff Jacob Henry throughout his life was actively engaged in philanthropic activities.

He was married to Teresa Loeb (the daughter of the owner of the bank, in which the young man built a career). In marriage, the children were born: daughter Frieda and son Mortimer. Jacob Schiff died at the age of 73 in 1920. Buried in New York.

Jacob Schiff is a public figure

A well-known banker was one of the leaders of the Jewish community in the United States. He funded a number of projects: the creation of a Jewish department in the public library of New York City, the Hibrou College Union, the Jewish Theological Seminary,

Jacob Henry Schiff also directed his philanthropic activities to a number of non-Jewish projects and institutions. So, they were given considerable sums to American educational institutions, Boy Scouts of America, Red Cross organizations, etc.

Schiff held various honorary posts, in particular, he was vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce in the United States, he was a member of the city council of New York for education.

Jacob Schiff: Political Participation

In 1904 Schiff was awarded an audience with the King of Great Britain Edward VII. For active support of Japan in the Russo-Japanese War, the banker received awards from the Japanese government: the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Rising Sun. During the presidential election in the United States (1909), Schiff supported candidate William Taft.

In 1914, Jacob Schiff acted as one of the founders of the Joint (American Jewish Distribution Committee). The politician was an opponent of Zionism, calling this idea a utopia.

"Declaration of Balfour"

This did not prevent Schiff from supporting the "Balfour Declaration" in 1917. In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour addressed Lord Rothschild, representing the British Jewish community, with an open letter addressed to the Zionist Federation. In the letter, the sympathy of the government to the Zionist aspirations of the Jews was declared. Among the expected goals of document publication, historians see:

• Creation of pressure on the US government by the American Jewish community with a view to encouraging its entry into the First World War as a member of the Entente.
• The creation of pressure on the Jews of Russia in order to prevent the spread among them of the ideas of Bolshevism and to prevent the country from withdrawing from the war.
• Ensuring the right to exercise control over the territory of Palestine on the part of Great Britain.

According to a poll conducted in 2004 among more than 20,000 members of the Arab intelligentsia in various countries, the "Balfour Declaration" is considered the "most terrible document" in the past millennium.

Russia

The subject of "Schiff and Russia" was devoted to their works by many historians. Most of them Jacob Schiff is characterized as a fierce opponent of the Russian autocracy. This was due, first of all, to the discriminatory policy pursued by the tsarist government towards the Jews.

Schiff actively used personal authority and his influence in the US banking and financial sector to put pressure on the Russian government. In order to force the Russian government to stop the infringement of the human and civil rights of the Jews, Schiff blocked the country's access to external loans from the US, financed the Japanese army in the Russo-Japanese War, and authored many foreign policy initiatives that could lead to a deterioration of diplomatic relations between the US and Russia. Biographers call politics his actions towards Russia as a "personal war", which turned into "an all-consuming passion." The situation of the Jewish population in this country Schiff compared with the disasters of the biblical ancestors in Egypt at the time of the great exodus. Himself saw as a new Moses. It is Schiff's personal crusade against Russia, historians believe, that contributed to his rise, unusual for the Jewish leader.

After the victory of the February Revolution, Schiff changed his attitude toward Russia. The politician welcomed the Provisional Government, which abolished the restrictions of confessions, and supported financially his military loan.

The Russian Revolution

A number of historical sources point to Schiff's probable involvement in the financing of the revolution in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. This topic was especially widely discussed at one time by emigrant right-monarchist circles. However, sources that can convincingly prove or refute these allegations, so it was not provided. Moreover, historians have found fake documents designed to defame Schiff, proving his participation in financing the revolution in Russia.

It is known that in 1919 one of the monarchist editions in Rostov-on-Don published a fake document asserting that the Bolsheviks from banker Schiff received a multi-million dollar subsidy that helped them win the revolution.

The struggle for the rights of the Jews

Schiff's attention to the situation of Russian Jews was attracted even during the pogroms in 1881. In the early 20 century. In the arsenal of funds developed by the Jewish community of the United States in its struggle for the rights of Jews in other countries, the formation of public opinion and pressure on the government of the United States were considered the most effective. At the beginning of the 20th century, the arsenal was replenished. Schiff added something new - international financial pressure with the goal of diplomatic isolation of Russia.

In the early 1890s, Schiff financially supported the publication of the monthly "Free Russia", which represented a political organization engaged in the secret distribution of "moderate benefits" to the SRs. By this time, the figure had become friends with J. Kennan, an American journalist known for his active support of revolutionaries in Russia. Kennan's public exposure of the difficult conditions, in which the Siberian exile contained political prisoners, served as an impetus to the spread in the United States of critical views on the regime existing in the Russian Empire.

On the agenda was a more radical task, rather than improving the situation of Russian Jews. This task was to democratize Russia by overthrowing the Romanov dynasty.

The Russo-Japanese War

In 1890, during a visit to the New York port of a Russian military ship, Schiff organized a boycott of the event by the Jewish community. In the fight against Russia, Jacob Henry Schiff did not limit himself to any moral considerations.

Cyrus Adler, a historian, writes in his book about this figure: in February 1904 Schiff gathered representatives of Jewish public organizations in his house and informed them that in no more than two days Japan and Russia would start a war. The banker also reported that he was asked to borrow for the Japanese government. Schiff wanted to hear the opinion of those present, how this could affect the position of their Russian co-religionists. Apparently, historians believe, a positive decision was made at the meeting. Has Shiff ever experienced remorse because of the huge damage caused by his actions in Russia? This history is not known.

Loans

At the beginning of the war, an American syndicate (Kun, Loeb & Co., the National and Commercial banks), managed by Schiff, issued Anglo-American loans to the Japanese government (amounting to about $ 110 million, which played a decisive role in financing the warring Japan , Ensuring its victory, in addition, Schiff actively and successfully engaged in preventing the placement of Russian loans in the US market, and many other American banks were kept from granting loans to the Russian government.

Schiff financed the project of J. Kennan to distribute special revolutionary literature in the camps of Russian prisoners of war in Japan. The project was well conspicuous. In the spring of 1917, Kennan personally told journalists about him. According to him, thanks to Schiff's support, it became possible to import revolutionary literature in tons into the camps, as a result of which about 50 thousand convinced revolutionaries returned to their homeland.

Attempts by the Russians to agree with Schiff

The Russian government has made attempts to agree with Schiff, "pull" him to his side or at least neutralize. No exhortations could persuade Schiff to stop helping the Russian revolutionary movement. The peace with the Romanovs can not be concluded, Schiff declared.

The pogroms

Many historians believe that the position taken by the banker during the Russo-Japanese War is in direct connection with the worsening situation of the Jews in Russia. Schiff, historians believe, did more than anyone else to aggravate the problems of his Russian co-religionists, since he did not hide the fact that the war between Japan and Russia became possible due to the money of Jewish bankers.

In August-September 1904, in October 1905, a wave of horrendous Jewish pogroms swept through the cities and towns of Ukraine, Belarus, and then across Russia spread as a result of the provocative accusations of Jews to unleash a war and prepare the revolution. During the pogroms, more than 800 Jews were killed (this number does not include deaths from injuries). The material damage caused to the Jewish population is estimated at more than 70 million rubles. According to other sources, more than 4,000 people were killed in the pogroms and about 10,000 Jews were injured. Schiff carried out active financial support for Jewish self-defense units.

As a result of the diplomatic pressure of Schiff and his entourage on the Russian government, the situation of Russian Jews worsened even more: in the period from 1912 to 1913, severe laws were passed in the country with which Jews lost the remnants of social rights and freedoms.

The First World War

With the outbreak of the war, the Russian government again turned for help to the financial market of the United States. Schiff did not change his position. He considered providing lending to Russia only if the policy of the Russian authorities directed against Jews was changed.

The February Revolution

The victory of the February Revolution Schiff enthusiastically welcomed. By decree of 6.04.1917, the Jews were equalized with the rest of the country's citizens. The revolution, Schiff believed, is a real miracle, even greater than the liberation of the biblical ancestors of the Jewish people from the Egyptian captivity. Financial support to the revolutionary government was given to them very significant.

"Not to be separated from the Reds ..."

In 1918 Schiff was accused that thanks to his money, the Bolsheviks defeated Russia. Schiff sent a letter to the US Department, in which the banker categorically dissociated himself from the Reds.

Some historians, however, support information about the active financing of Schiff by Leon Trotsky. In addition, it is known that almost thirty years after the victory of the revolution, American diplomats and scouts were supplied with money from the Schiff syndicate.

Adler Cyrus's book

The main sponsor of all Russian revolutions, Jacob Schiff, whose biography and success story are represented in the book of historian and publicist Adler Cyrus, is still of interest today. The book was published in 2017 in the Moscow publishing house "Tsentrpoligraf". On 575 pages are interesting facts from the life of the famous American banker, public figure and philanthropist, revealing the versatility of his personality. The book can also be found with Schiff's correspondence and other materials testifying to the versatility of his interests.