A Noble Heritage Chapter 9 Quiz – An Epic Era
1.
These three decades, from 1916 through 1945, had an enormous influence on the history of our family, our country, and the world. Many members of the Polonsky family lived during this remarkable era, but the ones with the front row seat were: a) Nathan Polonsky’s generation b) Nathan’s children’s generation c) Nathan’s grandchildren’s generation d) Nathan’s great-grandchildren’s generation
2.
By the time Nathan and his family arrived in Brooklyn in 1914, America’s ______ Jews had become the largest Jewish population in the world. a) 1.5 million b) 2.5 million c) 3.5 million d) 4.5 million
3.
During World War I, Jews were targeted by anti-Semites as “slackers” and “war-profiteers” responsible for many of the ills of the country. Part of this may be attributed to ______. a) The reluctance of the Jews to come to the aid of Czarist Russia b) The hope that Germany would emancipate oppressed Jews in the Russian Pale of Settlement c) Hostility to the Czarist war effort in the Jewish press and Yiddish newspapers d) All of the above
4.
One of the Russian Revolution’s most decisive consequences for American Jews was that it: a) Ensured their support for America’s entrance into the war less than one month later b) Changed their party affiliation c) Encouraged them to vote in record numbers d) All of the above
5.
The Socialist Party remained opposed to the war, as did several prominent Jewish Socialists, among them Morris Hillquit and Meyer London. True or False?
6.
The visibility of Jewish and other immigrant pacifists obscured the routine wartime commitment of the Jewish masses, and the impression of non-patriotism, or draft evasion among Jews was widely held. True or False?
7.
In 1918, Jews made up 3.3 percent of the American population, but they comprised ______ percent of the U.S. armed services. a) 2.4
b) 3.5
c) 4.6
d) 5.7
8.
Few of the Polonsky men served in the armed forces during World War I, due primarily to: a) Their ages and dependents b) Their membership in the Socialist party c) Their philosophical opposition to the war d) All of the above
9.
The only member of the family known to have served in World War I was ______. a) Nathan Polonsky’s nephew, Phil Pollen b) Fannie Polonsky’s husband, Charlie Chaber c) Vera Polonsky’s husband, Max Erskine d) Joseph Polonsky’s son, Arnold Polonsky
10. The classic photo of the Polonsky family, circa 1919, was most likely taken to commemorate the wedding of ______. a) Vera Polonsky b) Pauline Polonsky c) Fannie Polonsky d) Ruth Polonsky
11. Nine of Nathan’s grandsons served admirably in the armed forces during World War II. One of them, ______, gave his life in the service of his country. a) Eugene Victor Erskine b) Arnold David Polonsky c) Philip Samuel Paull d) Philip Pollen
12. The 1920s were marked by which of the following? a) The economy was converting from war time to peace time b) More people were living in cities than on farms c) America became the richest nation on Earth d) All of the above
13. The 1920s were also marked by which of the following? a) The reappearance of the Ku Klux Klan b) Red scares, and restrictive immigration laws c) An epidemic of organized crime, fueled by Prohibition d) All of the above 14. The 1920s ushered in a rich period of American writing, distinguished by the works of such authors as: a) Sinclair Lewis b) William Faulkner c) F. Scott Fitzgerald d) Ernest Hemingway e) All of the above 15. Science, medicine, and health also advanced remarkably during the 1920s. Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in ______. a) 1921 b) 1923 c) 1925 d) 1927 16. Charles Lindbergh’s pioneering flight across the Atlantic Ocean in the Spirit of St. Louis in ______ did much to stimulate the young aviation industry. a) 1921 b) 1923 c) 1925 d) 1927 17. The year ______ introduced the first feature-length motion picture made with synchronized dialogue and music, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson. a) 1921 b) 1923 c) 1925 d) 1927
18. Joseph Polonsky served as president of the Jewish Orphan Asylum of Brownsville, and was among the founders of the Pride of Judea Children’s Home, which opened its doors in Brooklyn in ______. a) 1921 b) 1923 c) 1925 d) 1927 19. Leon Polonsky served as vice-president of the Pride of Judea Children’s Home, was on its Board of Directors, and provided pro bono dental care to the children’s home every week until its closing in the ______. a) 1930s b) 1940s c) 1950s d) 1960s
20. In the early 1920s, Nathan’s son, Joseph Polonsky, purchased a farm in ______. a) Topsham, Maine b) Bethlehem, New Hampshire c) Syracuse, New York d) Gallitzin, Pennsylvania 21. During the ______ Nathan’s son, Isadore Paull, moved the Paull family from rural Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh, which would become the birthplace of many members of the Paull family. a) Early 1920s b) Mid-1920s c) Late 1920s d) Early 1930s 22. For most of the 1920s, Nathan and Bessie Polonsky enjoyed attending regular family gatherings held in their apartment building in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. These gathering were generally held at: a) Their daughter Vera’s home b) Their son Joseph’s home c) Their daughter Fannie’s home d) Their son Leon’s home
23. The Wall Street Crash of October 29, 1929 signaled beginning of the Great Depression that affected all Western industrialized countries, and did not end in the U.S. until ______. a) Prohibition was ended in 1933 b) The New Deal of the mid-1930s c) The German invasion of Poland in 1939 d) Mobilization for World War II at the end of 1941 24. Nathan Polonsky passed away ______. a) Less than one year before the Great Crash, on November 29, 1930 b) Less than three weeks before the Great Crash, on October 9, 1929 c) One month after the Great Crash, on November 29, 1929 d) Less than one year after the Great Crash, on October 9, 1930 25. With the exception of three of Nathan’s children, ______, the rest of the Polonsky family, including Nathan’s siblings and their families, lived in New York during the 1930s, most of them in Brooklyn. a) Isadore Paull, Joseph Polonsky, and Fanny Chaber b) Isadore Paull, Leon Polonsky, and Rae Adler c) Isadore Paull, Joseph Polonsky, and Rae Adler d) Isadore Paull, Leon Polonsky, and Vera Erskine 26. The Depression affected most everyone, regardless of religion or ethnic class. However, this period was a particularly difficult one for the Jewish community. In addition to an economic crisis, they faced ______. a) Employment discrimination b) Education quotas c) A rising tide of anti-Semitism d) All of the above 27. Which prominent Americans were presented with the Grand Service Cross of the Supreme Order of the German Eagle by the Nazi regime of Germany during the 1930s? a) Father Coughlin b) Henry Ford c) Charles Lindbergh d) (b) and (c) only e) All of the above
28. Max Baer was a Jewish boxer of the 1930s. In 1933, Baer defeated German heavyweight Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium. Baer’s trunks displayed ______. a) An embroidered American flag b) An embroidered Star of David c) A U.S. Army insignia d) All of the above 29. Henry Benjamin “Hank” Greenberg was a Hall of Fame baseball player, and the first Jewish superstar in professional sports. He attracted national attention in 1934 when ______. a) He broke Babe Ruth’s home run record b) He pitched a perfect game c) He hit the winning home run in the World Series d) He refused to play baseball on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement 30. Although anti-Semitism in America was on the rise during the Depression, ______ protected the New Yorkbased Polonsky family from its effects. a) Their success at assimilation b) Their success in business c) The sheer size of the New York Jewish community d) All of the above 31. In many ways, the years of the Great Depression were a defining moment in American Jewish history, as a generation of Jewish immigrants and their children faced an uncertain future in America. Ultimately, it was ______ that kept hope alive for many Jews. a) The belief in Roosevelt b) The New Deal c) The force of purposeful democratic change in America d) All of the above 32. With regard to unemployment during the Depression, the New York-based Polonsky family was very fortunate because ______. a) The primary wage earners were well-established in their careers and professions b) They had relatively stable jobs c) They did not encounter significant anti-Semitism d) They were able to provide college educations for their children e)
All of the above
33. The Pittsburgh-based Paull branch of the Polonsky family was much more adversely affected by the Great Depression than were the other New York-based branches. True or False?
34. The New York-based family sent all twelve members of the third generation to college, with some of them going on to graduate school. True or False?
35. Not a single member of the third generation of the Paull branch of the family – Bertha, Phil, Ella, Harold, Herbert, Melvin, or Lenore – graduated from college, and most never even had the opportunity to attend college. True or False?
36. When Melvin Paull returned from the war, he planned to study pharmacy at Duquesne University, under the GI Bill. However, he was pressed into service in his father’s jewelry store after completing just one year of college. True or False?
37. Despite these economic challenges, the Paull family, like the New York-based Polonsky family, remained very close throughout the Depression era, and in the decades which followed. True or False?
38. More than ______ Jews (approximately half of all Jewish males between eighteen and fifty) served in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II. a) 125,000 b) 275,000 c) 550,000 d) 750,000 39. About ______ Jews were killed and over 40,000 wounded in World War II. a) 5,500 b) 11,000 c) 17,500 d) 25,000 40. During this period, Jews comprised approximately 3.3 percent of the total U.S. population but constituted about ______ percent of the U.S. armed forces. a) 2.5% b) 3.5% c) 4.2% d) 5.3% 41. About ______ of all Jewish physicians in the U.S. who were under forty-five years of age were in service as military physicians or medics during World War II. a) 30%
b) 40%
c) 50%
d) 60%
42. Jewish men and women served proudly, and fought courageously in World War II. A total of approximately ______ military decorations, citations, and medals were awarded to Jewish heroes during the war. a) 13,000 b) 26,000 c) 39,000 d) 52,000 43.
Match Nathan Polonsky’s grandsons in the left column with the appropriate description of their military service during World War II from the right column. a) Leonard Adler ____.
a) Flight mechanic, U.S. Army Air Corps, 31st Squadron
b) Richard Chaber ____.
b) Instrument specialist, U.S. Army Air Corps, 369th Squadron
c) Mortimer Chaber ____.
c) First Lieutenant, and later Captain in the Army Dental Corps
d) Robert Erskine ____.
d) Instrument specialist in the U.S. Army 15th Air Force
e) Eugene Erskine ____.
e) U.S. Army Signal Corps
f)
f) Lieutenant and naval aviator in the U.S. Navy
Arnold Paulen ____.
g) Melvin Paull ____.
g) Fighter squadron ordinance officer in the U.S. Navy
h) Herbert Paull ____.
h) Radar technician in the U.S. Navy
i)
i) Sergeant and medic in the U.S. Army 303rd Medical Battalion
Philip Paull ____.
44. Following World War II, there was a dramatic decrease in anti-Semitic attitudes, beliefs, and manifestations in the United States. True or False?
45. Which of the following five major themes did not define the immediate postwar decades? a) The decline of anti-Semitism b) A massive movement of American Jews from cities to suburbs c) The emergence of an American Jewish communal order emphasizing Israel and political liberalism d) A large migration of Jews to the American Sun Belt, and e) Pessimism concerning the American Jewish community and its future