Text only meeting flier to oppose antisemitism and the Christian Front
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 10.875 inches (27.623 cm) | Width: 7.875 inches (20.003 cm)
Creator(s)
- Peter Ehrenthal (Compiler)
- Communist Party of Boston (Issuer)
Biographical History
The Katz Ehrenthal Collection is a collection of more than 900 objects depicting Jews and antisemitic and anti-Jewish propaganda from the medieval to the modern era, in Europe, Russia, and the United States. The collection was amassed by Peter Ehrenthal, a Romanian Holocaust survivor, to document the pervasive history of anti-Jewish hatred in Western art, politics and popular culture. It includes crude folk art as well as pieces created by Europe's finest craftsmen, prints and periodical illustrations, posters, paintings, decorative art, and toys and everyday household items decorated with depictions of stereotypical Jewish figures.
Archival History
The handbill was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2016 by the Katz Family.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Katz Family
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Handbill announcing a mass meeting in Boston to stop antisemitism and to protest the Christian Front issued by the Communist Party of Boston in October 1940. The featured speaker is Otis Hood, a candidate for School Committee, who had a radio show on WNAC radio. Per the flier, the meeting was a response to anti-Jewish attacks in Dorchester and Roxbury, inspired by the Christian Front. Hood (d. 1983), Chair of the Massachusetts Communist Party and frequent gubernatorial candidate, wanted to introduce education about antisemitism into the school curriculum. The Christian Front was an antisemitic, pro-Nazi organization, formed ca. 1938, which advanced their agenda, such as boycotting Jewish businesses with the slogan "Buy Christian," by promoting it as a campaign against communism. They associated themselves with the enormously popular radio priest, Father Coughlin. The group's expansion was limited after World War II begin in September 1939, and even more when the US declared war on Nazi Germany in December 1941. This handbill is one of more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic visual materials.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Text only handbill in black ink on paper. Typed text in a mix of fonts and weights covers the front of the sheet; the back is blank. At the top are 2 bold faced announcements, separated by horizontal lines, the meeting purpose and then date and place. The body is composed of 11 short paragraphs describing the issues, context, and concerned parties, especially Otis Hood. Preservation/conservation required (brittle paper)
Subjects
- Communism and Judaism.
- Anti-Nazi movement--United States.
- Communism--United States--Boston--Societies, etc.
- Communist -- Associations, institutions, etc.
- Boston (Mass.)--Ethnic relations.
- Antisemitism--United States--Boston--Societies, etc.
Genre
- Object
- Posters