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35 pages. 204 x 145 mm. Small tear in blank bottom margin of last leaf. Minor soiling to front wrapper and first page. A speech given to the 15th convention of B'nai B'rith. Sigmund Livingston (December 27, 1872 Gießen, Germany - June 13, 1946 Highland Park, Illinois, U.S.) was a German-born American Jewish attorney working in Chicago, Illinois. He was the founder and first president of the Anti-Defamation League, and the author of the book Must Men Hate (New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1944). The League's annual Sigmund Livingston Award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions to furthering civil rights and fighting injustice, is named after him, as is its Sigmund Livingston Fellowship. The son of Dora and Mayer Livingston, he emigrated with his brothers and sisters in 1881, settling in Bloomington, Illinois. He became a naturalized US citizen in 1888, married Hilda Valerie Freiler on December 18, 1918, graduated from the Law School of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois and became an attorney. He also became active in Jewish causes, joining his local B'nai B'rith lodge. He grew increasingly concerned at what he saw as pervasive stereotyping of Jews, and after walking out on a theater performance in Chicago where he felt that Jews were being caricatured, he decided to form an organization to refute anti-Jewish stereotypes. He discussed the situation with a fellow attorney, Adolph Kraus, the president of B'nai B'rith, and on September 17, 1913, Livingston founded the Anti-Defamation League, at that time a committee of the Chicago B'nai B'rith. Livingston was known as a tireless advocate for tolerance, speaking out against anti-Semitism all over the United States, through speaking engagements and conferences. Under his leadership, the Anti-Defamation League was able to address stereotypes in the popular culture, as well as in academia. For example, in 1930, the ADL was able to persuade Roget's Thesaurus to remove an objectionable portion from its pages: it has defined "Jew" as synonymous with "cunning, rich, usurer, extortioner, heretic." The editors of Roget's apologized and agreed to change the definition in the next edition. In 1944, Livingston also wrote a book that refuted some of the most common anti-Jewish myths, especially those used by the Nazis. "Must Men Hate?" received a number of favorable reviews, including one that called it an "impressive" and "valuable" volume. After graduation from Illinois Wesleyan Law School in 1894, Livingston began an active thirty year law practice in Bloomington, Illinois. He moved to Chicago and in 1929 became a partner in Lederer, Livingston, Kahn and Adler (now known as Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, LLP). He continued his campaign for civil rights and his fight against injustice. In 1942, when Henry Ford was attacked in the media for being an anti Semite, Ford, who was a rabid anti Semite and financed the Dearborn Gazette that spewed hatred of Jews, turned to Livingstone for assistance. Spouting anti Semitic Nazi-like canards against Jews was no longer fashionable in America once the United States was at war with Germany. It was bad for business. Livingston was survived by his wife Hilda and a son Richard. In appreciation for his many years of service, B'nai B'rith established ten fellowships in his memory. The original awards were $2000, with the money going to students who agreed to do research into prejudice and study "racial and cultural relations.". Seller Inventory # 014054
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