Episode #102: The Last Ships from Hamburg: The Untold Story of the Escape of the Russian Jews
Between the late 1890s and early 1920s, over 2 million Jews from Eastern Europe fled their homes and made the long, arduous unsettling journey to America to escape persecution and violence in their native countries. Many of these Jews were fleeing Russia, where a state-sanctioned anti-Semitism forced many to escape for their lives.
This mass immigration was, in large part, the result of the efforts of three entrepreneurial men whose efforts ensured escape for tens of thousands. Albert Ballin, the director of the Hamburg-America line, Jacob Schiff, the German-born New York-based philanthropist and financier and the Gilded Age financial titan J.P. Morgan all insured methods of escape that would otherwise not have been possible.
So much of this story has not been told until now and it is through the research and writing of historian Steven Ujifusa that has finally brought the full story to light. Steve joins The Gilded Gentleman table in this episode to discuss what exactly happened, the enormous difference Ballin, Schiff and Morgan all made in helping so many to escape. In addition, Steve shares his own story about how he was able to uncover little-known material to tell the larger story.
Carl is joined by special guest:
Steven Ujifusa, American historian and author of The Last Ships from Hamburg: Business, Rivalry, and the Race to Save Russia’s Jews on the Eve of World War I.
LISTEN NOW: The Last Ships from Hamburg: The Untold Story of the Escape of the Russian Jews
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