Was Oscar Hammerstein Jewish? Some people just "cain't say no" (today's MARQUEE)
Despite common assumptions, the (nominally) Christian lyricist was a universalist
Shalom, Broadway lovers!
In today’s FREE edition of MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast: an essay about Oscar Hammerstein’s lack of a Jewish identity; a homework video for Monday’s class about Parade; and a Last Blast about Gypsy.
Today Premium subscribers also get: a Piano Talk about “For Good” from Wicked; a Broadway Blast about Hairspray; and a quiz about Sondheimian songs with questions in the titles.
ESSAY: Discussions of the Jewish influence on Broadway nearly all mention the name Oscar Hammerstein II, from a PBS documentary to The Times of Israel to the Jewish online outlets Hey Alma and My Jewish Learning. Stuart F. Lane's Jews on Broadway makes the claim, as does Andrea Most's academic book on the subject.
Given the dominance of Rodgers & Hammerstein's repertoire, it helps prove that Broadway was essentially a Jewish industry.
Well, it might do so if evidence of Hammerstein's Jewish identity was copious and clear. Instead, it's absent or nearly so, which makes sense. While identity today is a personal and often self-defined journey, in Hammerstein’s time, these concepts were more often dictated by societal and religious systems than individual choice. And the systems at the time determined religious status strictly through the mother.
Since Hammerstein's mother was Christian, the case for his Christianity is straightforward, whereas that for his supposed Judaism requires logical and historical contortions. Having Jewish friends, a Jewish last name, and even a (secular) Jewish father is not enough.
From Hammerstein's own words in a 1953 letter:
My mother didn’t go to church much either, but she had a prayer book which she read from every day. I have the prayer book now. I saw it frequently. She was devout in her way, but not in any formal way.... We used to fast once a year on Good Friday, and most of the time we had fish on Friday, but we were not as strict as Catholics in this observance.
Later the family enrolled Oscar in Sunday School at the Universalist church down the street. Andy Hammerstein told me his famous grandfather identified with Universalism, a Christian-adjacent tradition about which the lyricist wrote "Our faith is the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, the leadership of Jesus, salvation by character, the progress of mankind, onward and upward forever."
And Hammerstein explicitly pointed to a disconnect from Judaism in the aforementioned letter: "I had no education whatever in the Jewish religion." He wrote that the Hammersteins, "the Jewish side of my family," were not religious, and that none of "them" (he didn't write "us") ever went to temple.
Now, Hammerstein's affiliation with his mother's faith tradition did not mean he had no connection with Judaism. He was a Zionist and donated to causes like the United Jewish Welfare Fund and the United Jewish Appeal. He was known to give synagogue eulogies for friends who had passed, like George Gershwin and Jerome Kern. And his passion for social justice and equality certainly have echoes in the Jewish tradition.
But was Oscar Hammerstein Jewish? No, he was not.
To be clear, the evidence certainly doesn't present Hammerstein as a devout Christian either. One expert, Mark Eden Horowitz from the Library of Congress, wrote me that despite the "suggestive" evidence of Hammerstein's Christianity, he was "basically" an atheist. And Hammerstein's grandson Will wrote on Facebook that Oscar was not a "church-going" Christian, and was "basically a humanist."
On the other hand, one scholar has argued that not only Hammerstein's life but also his work was imbued with the values of universalism and the allied Unitarian faith. A 2013 dissertation about liberal Protestant themes in Hammerstein's musicals claimed he did attend church. The research aimed to refute "claims that he was part of the Jewish theatrical community on Broadway."
I see only two ways to argue that Hammerstein was Jewish, one anachronistic and the other offensive.
Yes, since 1983 the Reform movement has considered people with Jewish fathers to be Jewish, but that's only when the person chooses to live a Jewish life. And there's simply no evidence of any sort of Jewish identity on Hammerstein's part.
Using late 20th-century definitions to retrofit the identities of early 20th-century figures is a kind of "historical presentism" that's near-taboo among historians. It's an easy mistake but an anachronism to assign Hammerstein a faith using the system many people use today. During the lyricist's lifetime, no Jewish movement considered him Jewish. He didn't consider himself Jewish (or even "half Jewish"). We don't get to overrule him.
Even calling him "culturally" Jewish is an anachronism. In the early 20th century, Jewish identity was largely tied to religious practice and community belonging. While secular Jews certainly existed, it was uncommon for someone with no Jewish education, religious practice, or community involvement to claim a Jewish identity. Labeling Hammerstein "culturally Jewish" reflects 21st-century values of identity choice, not historical norms.
Worse, some people point out that "Hitler would have considered him Jewish," which is true, since the Nazis determined Jewish heritage based on biological inheritance rather than religion or peoplehood. But should that really be dispositive? The idea we should be giving Nazis agency over Jewish identity decades after their defeat is disturbing at best.
Why should we care? Well, by reconsidering the inclusion of Hammerstein on the vaunted list of "Jewish" Broadway pioneers, we tell a more complete story about where musical theater came from. We may even identify important aspects of the work itself, as the dissertation about Christian themes in Hammerstein's musicals suggests.
Further, it's simply respectful to affirm the true identities of historical figures, even at the risk of a tiny dent in a boast many Jews are rightly proud of -- the dominance of their coreligionists in the Broadway world. Broadway-linked figures with names like George M. Cohan, Ethel Merman (née Zimmerman) and Norman Jewison have also been presumed Jewish. (The error annoyed Merman but tickled Jewison).
Hammerstein's eclectic spiritual influences fit perfectly for a lyricist and book writer who showed a remarkable ability to depict well-rounded characters from many backgrounds -- from an Austrian naval captain to a Chinese-American nightclub performer to a Tonkinese shrunken-head peddler.
Hammerstein's celebrated status as a Jewish Broadway legend may be misplaced, but the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein passion for Jewish and universal values like tolerance, justice, and freedom continues to echo.
There's no way to stop it.... 🎶
COMMENT: What do you think of the claim Oscar Hammerstein was Jewish? All views are welcome in the comments below.
HOMEWORK: To help prepare for Monday's FREE Ragtime/Parade class, watch this 10-minute version of Parade. What is the theme of the show? Explain your answers in the comments.
Parade and Ragtime are two powerful musicals set in the early 20th century, both of which had a significant impact on Jewish communities both on- and off-stage. Parade focuses on the real-life story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man wrongly accused of murder in the Deep South, while Ragtime presents a broader tapestry of American life, including the challenges faced by Jewish immigrants in their pursuit of the American Dream. Both productions address themes of justice, prejudice, and the struggle for identity in an evolving America. Join us on Monday, September 23 at Noon and 7 pm ET as we delve into these compelling works, examining their historical context and their lasting cultural impact.
GET THE WORM (ANNOUNCEMENT): Don't get locked out! The Broadway Maven's FREE classes (usually Mondays at Noon) have begun to fill up, and there are only 100 spots per session (Noon and 7 pm). If you wish to participate in any FREE class, please register early and especially show up early. Paid classes continue to have plenty of room in them. (The next paid course will be on the music of Hamilton, Sundays in November.)
HOMEWORK: To help prepare for Monday's FREE Ragtime/Parade class, watch this 10-minute version of Parade. What is the theme of the show? Explain your answers in the comments.
Note: Links to register for ALL classes are always available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.
• Monday, September 23 Noon and 7 pm ET Ragtime and Parade (FREE)
• Tuesday, September 24 Noon ET Sondheim Academy (registration closed)
• Monday, September 30 Noon and 7 pm ET Barbra Streisand’s musicals (FREE)
• Sunday, November 3, 10, and 17 Noon ET “The Music of Hamilton” with Mateo Chavez Lewis (registration opens October 1)
NOTE: As always, ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: “Sing out, Louise, sing out!” One of the most famous lines in Gypsy, and in musical theater in general, comes at the start of the show when Madame Rose encourages her older daughter to express herself more during “the act” onstage. Less known is the fact that she addresses her daughter in much the same fashion two other times. During the “Toreadorables” number, she says “Come on, Louise. Come on!” and soon thereafter it’s “Pick your feet up, Louise. Pick them up!” So the famous line represents a repeated way Madame Rose corrects her daughter, not just an isolated quip. These repeated urgings not only emphasize Rose's relentless drive but also illustrate Louise's transformation from a shy, obedient daughter to a confident performer, ultimately becoming Gypsy Rose Lee.
Broadway Maven David Benkof helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube channel, and MARQUEE: the Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.