Roosevelt and the Holocaust: How FDR Saved the Jews and Brought Hope to a Nation

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The year was 1932. At age fourteen Robert Beirs journey through life changed irrevocably when a classmate called him a dirty Jew. Suddenly Beir encountered the belligerent poison of anti-Semitism. The safe confines of his upbringing had been violated. The pain that he felt at that moment was far more hurtful than any blow. Its memory would last a lifetime.
Beirs experiences with anti-Semitism served as a microcosm for the anti-Semitism among the majority of Americans. That year, a politician named Franklin Delano Roosevelt ascended to the presidency. Over the next twelve years, he became a scion of optimism and carried a refreshing, unbridled confidence in a nation previously mired in fear and deeply depressed. His policies and ethics saved the capitalist system. His strong leadership and unwavering faith helped to defeat Hitler.
The Jews of America revered President Roosevelt. To a young Robert Beir, Roosevelt was an American hero. In mid-life, however, Beir experienced a conflict. New research was questioning Roosevelts record regarding the Holocaust. He felt compelled to embark on a historians quest, asking only the toughest questions of his childhood hero, including:
How much did President Roosevelt know about the Holocaust
What could Roosevelt have done
Why wasnt there an urgent rescue effort
In answering these questions and others, Robert Beir has done a masterful job. This book is graphically written, well-researched, and provocative. The portrait depicted of a man he once thought to be morally incorruptible amidst a circumstance of moral bankruptcy is truly unforgettable.

Author Bio

Robert L. Beir is a dedicated Roosevelt and Holocaust scholar. In 1984, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. asked him to join the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute's Board of Directors, where he continues to serve to this day. He lives with his wife, Joan, in New York City.Brian Josepher is the author of a collection of short stories, I Know Who Shot M and Other Love Stories, and a novel, What the Psychic Saw. He lives in New York City.