Stone, Elihu David, 1889-1952

Elihu David Stone (EDS) was born in Meretz, Lithuania on July 18, 1888. 1 He arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1906 and attended Roxbury High School while working as an instructor in a Hebrew religious school. He continued this work while attending Boston University Law School, and also worked as a reporter for the Boston Journal . He received his LL.B. in 1915 and established a law office in Boston. In 1918 he was appointed to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he completed two terms, serving on the Committee on Legal Affairs, the Judiciary Committee, and as Chair of the Committee on Elections. In 1920 he was on a Special Committee to revise and consolidate the laws of Massachusetts, and he served as Assistant U.S. District Attorney for Massachusetts from 1922 to 1934. In this capacity, he was responsible for the prosecution of cases violating the National Prohibition Act and the narcotic laws. Following his retirement from office, he continued his private law practice.

EDS was active in the Zionist movement, and, in 1919, was responsible for the passage of a resolution in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, urging American Delegates to the Paris Peace Conference to support the establishment of a Jewish commonwealth in Palestine. 2 He was largely responsible for the passage of the Palestine Resolution by the Massachusetts Legislation on March 29, 1922, which in turn led to the Joint Resolution passed by the U.S. Congress later that year, favoring the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. EDS was one of the American members of the Administrative Committee for the Jewish Agency of Palestine, a member of the Actions Committee of the World Zionist Organization, and vice-president and life member of the Zionist Organization of America, which he had helped re-organize in 1918. He was a founder of the New England Zionist Region, served as its president for 13 years, and was declared an honorary president for life of the organization. He was also national vice-chairman and New England chairman of the United Palestine Appeal, and a director of the Jewish National Fund.

EDS was active in community affairs and served as president of Congregation Mishkan Tefila for over 10 years. In 1938, he was awarded a distinguished service award as a result of his efforts on behalf of the people of Lithuania. He married Esther Israel in 1917 and had two sons, Theodore Mordecai and Judah Meir. He died in 1952.

From the guide to the Elihu Stone papers, undated, 1913-1962, (American Jewish Historical Society)