Jacob Henry Schiff, born Jacob Hirsch Schiff (January 10, 1847 – September 25, 1920) was a German-born New York City banker and philanthropist, who helped finance, among many other things, the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Japanese military efforts against Tsarist Russia in the Russo-Japanese War. Image File history File linksMetadata JacobSchiff. ... is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Investment banks help companies and governments (or their agencies) raise money by issuing and selling securities in the capital markets (both equity and debt). ... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political and social upheavals in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal and moderate-socialist Provisional Government, resulting in the establishment of Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ... Combatants Russian Empire Montenegro[1] Empire of Japan Commanders Emperor Nicholas II Aleksey Kuropatkin Stepan Makarov â€  Emperor Meiji Oyama Iwao Heihachiro Togo The Russo–Japanese War (Japanese: Nichi-Ro Sensō, Russian: , Chinese: , February 10, 1904 – September 5, 1905) was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of...

From his base on Wall Street, he was the foremost Jewish leader in what became known as the "Schiff era," grappling with all major issues and problems of the day, including the plight of Russian Jews under the tzar, American and international anti-Semitism, care of needy Jewish immigrants, and the rise of Zionism. He also became the director of many important corporations, including the New York City National Bank, the Equitable Life Assurance Society, and the Union Pacific Railroad. Elaborate marble facade of NYSE as seen from the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets For other uses, see Wall Street (disambiguation). ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... “Nicholas II” redirects here. ... Zionism is a political movement that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, where Jewish nationhood is thought to have evolved somewhere between 1200 BCE and late Second Temple times,[1][2] and where Jewish kingdoms existed up to the 2nd century CE. Zionism is... AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States) was founded by Henry Baldwin Hyde in 1859. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. ...

Life

He was born in Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany to a distinguished rabbinical family that traced its lineage in Frankfurt back to 1370. He lived with Rothschild in the ghetto in Frankfurt. In 1865, Schiff moved to the US at the age of 18. After several banking jobs, he eventually became the head of the banking firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., which grew to become "one of the two most influential private international banking houses on the Western Hemisphere" (Adler 8). Schiff always felt strongly about his connection to the Jewish people , and showed this through his philanthropy. He supported relief efforts for the victims of pogroms in Russia, and helped establish and develop Hebrew Union College, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Jewish Division in the New York Public Library. However, he also financed many major American projects, believing strongly in the need to further develop and bring together the US. To this end, he reorganized the bankrupt Union Pacific Railroad in 1897, as well as a number of other railroad companies. Frankfurt am Main [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] is the largest city in the German state of Hessen and the fifth largest city of Germany. ... For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... Events Beginning of the rule of Poland by Capet-Anjou family. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Kuhn, Loeb & Co. ... Languages Historical Jewish languages Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, others Liturgical languages: Hebrew and Aramaic Predominant spoken languages: The vernacular language of the home nation in the Diaspora, significantly including English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian Religions Judaism Related ethnic groups Arabs and other Semitic groups For the Jewish religion, see Judaism. ... Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (also known as HUC or HUC-JIR) is the oldest Jewish seminary in the New World and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism. ... The Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, known in the Jewish community simply as JTS, is the academic and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism, and is the movements main rabbinical seminary. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP) (NYSE: UNP), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Schiff grew to be one of American Jewry's top philanthropists and leaders, donating to nearly every major Jewish cause, as well as many secular American causes such as the Boy Scouts of America, and a number of other organizations for civil rights and the disadvantaged, such as the American Red Cross and Tuskegee Institute. He also played a role in the municipal affairs of New York City, and worked to shrink the reliance on machine bureaucracy in this arena. For the Boy Scouting program within the BSA, see Boy Scouting (Boy Scouts of America). ... A WWII-era poster encouraged American women to volunteer for the Red Cross as part of the war effort. ... There is also the Tuskegee Airmen, a corps of African-American military pilots trained there during World War II Tuskegee University is an American institution of higher learning located in Tuskegee, Alabama. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

During the Russo-Japanese War, in 1904 and 1905, in perhaps his most famous financial action, Schiff, again through Kuhn, Loeb & Co., extended a critical series of loans to Japan, in the amount of $200 million. He was willing to extend this loan due, in part, to his belief that gold is not as important as national effort and desire, in helping win a war, and due to the apparent underdog status of Japan at the time; no European nation had ever been defeated by a non-European nation before then. It is quite likely Schiff also saw this loan as a means of taking revenge, on behalf of the Jewish people, for the anti-Semitic actions of the Tsarist regime, specifically the then-recent pogroms in Kishinev. Combatants Russian Empire Montenegro[1] Empire of Japan Commanders Emperor Nicholas II Aleksey Kuropatkin Stepan Makarov â€  Emperor Meiji Oyama Iwao Heihachiro Togo The Russo–Japanese War (Japanese: Nichi-Ro Sensō, Russian: , Chinese: , February 10, 1904 – September 5, 1905) was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Pogrom (from Russian: ; from громить IPA: - to wreak havoc, to demolish violently) is a form of riot directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious or other, and characterized by destruction of their homes, businesses and religious centres. ... Chişinău (Russian Кишинёв, Kishinyov, also Kishinev; Moldovan Cyrillic Кишинэу), estimated population 920,000 (2002), is the capital of Moldova. ...

This loan attracted worldwide attention, and had major consequences. Japan won the war, and elements of its government took this as evidence of the power of Jews all around the world, of their loyalty to one another, and as proof of the truth of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This thinking later led to the failed Fugu Plan, which would have saved many thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, bringing them to Japan-controlled China to work for the benefit of Japan's economy. In any case, Schiff was conferred the Order of the Rising Sun of Japan by Emperor Meiji, becoming the first foreigner to be offered this rare honor. He was also invited to a private audience in 1904 with King Edward VII of England. 1992 Russian edition of the Protocols, adapting Eliphas Levis portrayal of Baphomet. ... This article or section cites its sources but does not provide page references. ... For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation) and Shoah (disambiguation). ... Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun The Order of the Rising Sun or Kyokujitsu sho(旭日章) is a Japanese Order (decoration), established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. ... Emperor Mutsuhito Mutsuhito or Mitsuhito (睦仁), the Meiji Emperor (明治天皇, literally wise ruling heaven emperor) (3 November 1852–30 July 1912) was the 122nd Emperor of Japan. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910. ...

In addition to his famous loan to Japan, Schiff financed loans to many other nations, including those that would come to comprise the Central Powers. When World War I finally did break out, he used his reputation and influence to urge President Woodrow Wilson, and others, to put an end to the war as quickly as possible, even without an Allied victory. He feared for the lives of his family, back in Germany, but also for the future of his adopted land. He engineered loans to France, and other nations for humanitarian purposes, and spoke out against submarine warfare. European military alliances in 1914. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ...

In 1906, when the American Jewish Committee was formed, Schiff was one of its first leaders. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Over the years, before, during, and after World War I, his firm extended loans to many nations all around the world, but Schiff made sure none of the funds ever went to Russia, which continued to severely oppress the Jewish people. When the Tsar's government fell in 1917, Schiff believed that the oppression of Jews (and other peoples) would end. He became sympathetic for Alexander Kerensky's government, and formally repealed the impediments within his firm against lending to Russia. Of course, once the policies and doctrines of Lenin's and Trotsky's Soviet government became apparent, Schiff once more became bitterly opposed to aiding Russia in any way. “Nicholas II” redirects here. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Alexander Kerensky This article is about the Russian politician. ... Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин  listen?), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) ( April 22 (April 10 ( O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a... 1915 passport photo of Trotsky Leon Davidovich Trotsky (Russian: Лев Давидович Троцкий; also transliterated Trotskii, Trotski, Trotzky) (October 26 (O.S.) = November 7 (N.S.), 1879 - August 21, 1940), born Lev Davidovich Bronstein (&#1051...

Perhaps surprisingly, Schiff stood opposed to political, secular Zionism. He claimed to identify with Jews by faith, not by race. However, despite not agreeing fully with the ideas of Theodore Herzl, and in fact believing that Zionism was not compatible with American citizenship, he donated to many Jewish projects in Palestine, including the Technical Institute of Haifa. As the situation for Eastern European Jews grew more dire, with the Russian Revolution, and pogroms in Ukraine, Schiff made more considerable contributions to the Zionist effort; he even offered to join the Zionist organization, provided he could publish a statement he'd prepared. This offer was denied, and so he never formally joined the Zionist camp. Zionism is a political movement that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, where Jewish nationhood is thought to have evolved somewhere between 1200 BCE and late Second Temple times,[1][2] and where Jewish kingdoms existed up to the 2nd century CE. Zionism is... Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (May 2, 1860–July 3, 1904) was an Austrian Jewish journalist who became the founder of modern political Zionism. ... Flag The approximate borders of the British Mandate circa 1922. ... The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (הטכניון - מכון טכנולוגי לישראל) is a university in Haifa, Israel. ... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political and social upheavals in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal and moderate-socialist Provisional Government, resulting in the establishment of Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ...

Schiff fell ill and died in the autumn of 1920.

Schiff in conspiracy and fiction

Due to his fame, great wealth and power, and the large number of causes, events, and organizations he was involved in, Jacob Schiff has been the subject of conspiracy theories, some inspired in part by the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. He is accused, along with the Rothschilds, Warburgs, Oppenheimers and others, of being one of the key players in a gnostic Jewish conspiracy to dominate the economies, and therefore the governments, of the world. In truth, he did play a significant role in the election campaign of Woodrow Wilson in 1912, and spoke directly to Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt on several occasions, and he met personally with King Edward VII of England and Emperor Meiji of Japan. His loans to Japan and other nations, along with his contributions to countless companies and organizations around the world made him a ready target for various conspiracy theories, some of which are steeped in the ethos of anti-Semitism. For other uses, see Conspiracy theory (disambiguation). ... 1992 Russian edition of the Protocols, adapting Eliphas Levis portrayal of Baphomet. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... Emperor Meiji ) (November 3, 1852 — July 30, 1912) was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ...

Ironically, he has also, in other texts, been accused of anti-Semitism, for his purported opposition to Zionism; and anti-Americanism, due to his support for bolshevism. Schiff demonstrated time after time his dedication not only to the Jewish community, but also to his adopted homeland of America. Over the course of his lifetime, Schiff donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars to American corporations and organizations, and to Jewish causes in the US, Palestine, and around the world.

Family

• Wife: Therese
• Children: Mortimer Schiff; Frieda Warburg, nee Schiff
• Father: Moses Schiff
• Mother: Clara Schiff, nee Niederhofheim
• Granddaughter: Dorothy Schiff
• Great-great-grandson: Dr. Andrew Schiff, husband of Karenna Gore Schiff

Mortimer Loeb Schiff (1877 – 1931) was a notable early Boy Scouts of America (BSA) leader. ... Dorothy Schiff (March 11, 1903—August 30, 1989) was an American publisher of the New York Post, and was owner and publisher for nearly 40 years. ... Al Gore with wife, Tipper, along with their children and son-in-law, Dr. Andrew Schiff (sitting next to Karenna). ...

References

• Adler, Cyrus (1921). "Jacob Henry Schiff: A Biographical Sketch." New York: The American Jewish Committee.
• Brody, Seymour (1996). "Jacob Henry Schiff". Virtual Jewish Library. Accessed 21 Jan 2005.
• Cohen, Naomi W. (1999). "Jacob H. Schiff". Brandeis University Press

Cyrus Adler (1863 - 1940) was a U.S. educator, Jewish religious leader and scholar. ... Brandeis University is a private university located in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. ...

See also

• Chiune Sugihara

Chiune Sugihara (Japanese: 杉原千畝, Sugihara Chiune; January 1, 1900 – July 31, 1986) was a Japanese diplomat who helped thousands of Jews leave the Soviet Union while serving as the consul of the Empire of Japan to Lithuania. ...

External links

• Jewish Encyclopedia