Arctic Jews: An Interview with Michael Chabon
This interview contains some interesting history: Harold L. Ickes, the US Secretary of Interior from 1933 to 1946, once proposed that the Jews be allowed into Alaska, both as a haven from persecution, and to leverage the natural resources there. The proposal got to Congress, but was ultimately shot down.
Now, the relation to Michael Chabon is The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Chabon’s noir/alternative history novel published last year, in which the plan goes through, Israel loses its independence war in 1948, and the Jews “temporarily” settle in Alaska. I haven’t read the book, but I plan to do so in the foreseeable future, especially since the Coen brothers are ready to follow up the monumental acclaim of their No Country for Old Men adaption with a movie version of The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.
