'Who Is American?' Exploring the complicated history of Jewish citizenship in the US - review

In Who Is American? Belonging and the Question of Jewish Citizenship, Professor Lila Corwin Berman of New York University delves into the nuanced history of Jewish citizenship in the United States. Berman challenges the notion that Jewish citizens in the US were granted inclusion without difficulty, highlighting how judges, legislators, and litigants frequently revisited classifications of Jews as a race, nationality, or religion to ascertain their status and the status of other groups.

As pressure to limit immigration increased in the early 20th century, Jewish legal representatives argued that "Hebrew" should not be regarded as a racial classification in immigration statistics, as it denoted a religious identity rather than an ethnic one. In 1909, a federal judge endorsed the extraordinary exception of citizenship for Jews when four Armenians were denied US citizenship due to their non-white status.

During this period, Jewish organizations criticized legislation defining actions that could result in citizenship loss, claiming these laws reduced naturalized citizens to second-class status.

In the late 1970s, the Supreme Court ruled that only citizens could declare themselves expatriates. Orthodox Jews joined other religious groups in contesting Sunday closing laws, arguing that Christian values infringed on their rights as citizens. However, the Supreme Court ultimately upheld the constitutionality of such laws. Despite this, antisemitic rhetoric often attributed motives to these legal battles that were unrelated to religious conviction.

The book concludes with a thorough examination of contemporary issues surrounding Jewish citizenship, including whether Jews are considered a "protected class" under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, whether Jewish applicants should be granted admission to colleges due to perceived discrimination under Title VI, and whether race should continue to serve as a legal basis for defining Jewish identity.

As the US entered the 21st century, Berman argues that racial identity became more malleable, and legal categories affecting citizenship were more subject to change than ever before.