Religious Zionists Convention, 1919

Organization of Orthodox Jewry

From May 25-27, 1919, Cincinnati hosted a convention of Orthodox Zionists, sometimes called mizrachim. The gathering was held in Cincinnati to show the importance of Orthodoxy in a city where Judaism was often dominated by the Reform movement. At the convention, the group adopted three resolutions. They wanted to advocate a five-day workweek in industries where Jews predominated, presumably to ensure that Jews did not have to work on Saturday, the Sabbath. They pledged their support for the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Yeshivah in New York, a relatively new Orthodox seminary, as an important protector of Orthodox Judaism. Finally, they denounced the atrocities committed against Jews in Poland, where there was a spike in pogroms after World War I, although reports may have been exaggerated in the U.S.