Adolph Held

Adolph Held (May 16, 1885 – May 14, 1969) was a Galician-born Jewish American newspaper editor, politician, banker, and labor leader. He served as president of the Jewish Labor Committee from the death of his predecessor Baruch Charney Vladeck in 1938 until his own death in 1969. He was also a Socialist member of the New York City Board of Aldermen from 1918 to 1919.

Life

Held was born on May 16, 1885, in Boryslav, Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of Jacob Held and Tauba Yetta Singer. He immigrated to America in 1893.

Held attended the College of the City of New York, graduating from there with a B.S. in 1906. From 1907 to 1912, he was the city editor of The Jewish Daily Forward, a leading Yiddish socialist newspaper. From 1912 to 1917, he worked as its business manager. In 1917, he was elected as a Socialist to the New York City Board of Aldermen Fourth District, defeating Democrat Henry S. Schimmel. He ran for re-election in 1919, but he lost to Louis Zeltner, who ran with support from both Republicans and Democrats.

In 1920, Held was appointed European director of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. In that capacity, he assisted hundreds of thousands of Jews immigrating to the United States. When he returned to America in 1924, he became president of the Forward Association, the Forward's governing body. From 1925 to 1928, he served as vice-president of the Amalgamated Bank. He became president of the bank in 1928, and during the Wall Street Crash of 1929 it was considered one of the safest banks in the city. He was chairman of the board of directors of the radio station WEVD and chairman of the Amalgamated Co-operative Housing Association. He retired from that position in 1967.

Held was a member of the Workmen's Circle. In 1913, he married Lillian Michaels. He was buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery.