Walter Roth is an attorney, President of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society, and author of An Accidental Anarchist and the critically acclaimed Looking Backward: True Stories from Chicago's Jewish Past, both available from Academy Chicago Publishers.
It was a bitter cold morning in March, 1908. A nineteen-year-old Jewish immigrant traversed the confusing and unfamiliar streets of Chicago–a one-and-a-half-hour-long journey–from his ghetto home on Washburne Avenue to the luxurious Lincoln Place residence of Police Chief George Shippy. He arrived at 9 a.m. Within minutes after knocking on the front door, Lazarus Averbuch lay dead on the hallway floor, shot no less than six times by the chief himself. Why Averbuch went to the police chief's house or exactly what happened after that is still not known.
This is the most comprehensive account ever written about this episode that stunned Chicago and won the attention of the entire country. It does not "solve" the mystery as much as it places it in the context of a nation that was unsure how to absorb all of the immigrants flowing across its borders. It attempts to reconstruct the many different perspectives and concerns that comprised the drama surrounding the investigation of Averbuch's killing.
Walter Roth delves deep into the archives of Chicago’s Jewish past, and provides a new collection of illuminating essays on its various aspects. Booklist said of his previous collection, Looking Backward: True Stories from Chicago’s Jewish Past, ‘Roth writes about the well-known and the not-so-well-known, bringing to life the peOut of Printle, events and institutions that shaped the Jewish community.” Roth is also co-author of An Accidental Anarchist, about the killing of a Jewish immigrant by Chicago’s Chief of Police in 1908. Kirkus Reviews said, “The authors have skillfully removed the dust from an obscure but troubling episode.” Roth brings his consummate skill as storyteller to bear on this new collection, which makes for entertaining and informative reading.
The history of Jews in Chicago is a fascinating, complex and largely unknown story. Thanks to the unstinting efforts of Walter Roth, much of this history has been preserved. Now, for the first time, this material has been distilled into a single volume, chronicling events and people from the late nineteenth century to the end of World War II. There are six broad themes, each of which includes several essays: the first of which is "Chicago Jews and the Secular City: Builders, Movers, Shakers" about HL Mettes' huge 1924 history of Chicago Jews; financier Lazarus Silverman; the U of C Centennial; Jewish participation in the World's Columbian Exposition; Julius Rosenwald and the Museum of Science & Industry and the Jewish Day Pageant at the Century of Progress in 1933. The other five themes are "Chicago Jews and Anti-Semitism: Tragedy Abroad, Challenges at Home"; "Chicago Jews and Zionism: Local Idealists"; "Chicago Jews and Zionism: Renowned Visitors"; "Chicago Jews and the Arts: The Page and the Stage" and "Chicago Jews on Both Sides of the Law: Colorful Characters. "Anyone interested in Chicago history, ethnic history, Jewish history, will find Looking Backward a fascinating and informative read.
