why was the united states willing to accept only a limited number of jewish refugees?

Answer 1

It was a terrible time and very unfair once again, history repeated itself literally thousands of homeless Jewish people from camps that they barely survived, with wounds and immune systems giving out from starvation, it was pitiful the way Roosevelt handled that. He was not the only one that was wrong, Churchill took part in that Cyprus venture, and the French were ignored as well. Gypsies that feared the revival of that Nazi regime were on those ships as well, as many others. There was no reason except for bigotry and greed, because we were letting in other people like Nazis and we gave them immunity, and money, we let in some Polish and Germans, and Italians, Greeks, at the same time we let those people suffer. That was as big a war crime(denial) as any. Many died on those ships and no one cared. Little babies were born mothers mild was dried up so they would not thrive. And then like an animal bred in captivity they died. What a horrible thing to do to human beings. At that time there was plenty of room and plenty to go around much more than today. The government of Germany stole those peoples houses, America and England etc. won the war over the Nazi wouldnt you think they would have given them back their land. No and we still force the Jews to give up their land like the Gaza strip for instance. They won that fairly and built housing for the palestinians and they still wont have peace.

Answer 2

If your speaking of WW2, it was a mixture of politics, biggotry, and people with their head in the sand.

Before we (U.S.) entered the war, and even during a great part of it much of the U.S. population had no idea about the atrocities being played out on the Jewish people and other nationalities. Many of the people that heard of it dismissed it as propaganda, saying "The world is too civilized now days for such things to happen."

The U.S. was also just leaving a depression and many people weren't that well off. They didn't want the influx of refugees. Worrying that they would take jobs needed by others and require support until they did find work.

Many countries were arguing back and forth between each other as none of them wanted to put out the resources that would have been required to take care of a large influx of refugees.

Some Jewish leaders also played a part in this, turning down offers of assistance that would have scattered their followers or in some other way take away from their own personal political powers. Or turning down offers just because they thought there would be better offers to come... many waited too long.

Answer 3

The United States only accepts a limited number of any refugees. Otherwise the balance would be off and instead of a "melting pot" we would simply be soup. In your case Jewish Soup.

Answer 4

Two reasons. First, they were not Christians. And, second, the Great Depression. With, as President Roosevelt said "a third of the nation ill housed, ill clad, and ill fed" and with high unemployment, allowing a mass immigration would have been political suicide for whoever sponsored it..