In 1926, Houdini died of a ruptured appendix after being sucker-punched by a student. Stuart Rankin via Flickr under CC BY-NC 2.0Ī letter from Houdini to a friend also reveals that after his mother’s death in 1913, he recited the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer nightly for a year, per Jewish tradition.

Harry Houdini's escapes and illusions continue to fascinate today. “His attitude was evolving throughout his life.” “He was driven to create a public organization not only Jewish, he was the son of a rabbi,” magician David London told the Times of Israel.

During World War I, however, he and other Jewish stars (including fellow hall of fame member Irving Berlin) formed the Rabbi’s Sons Theatrical Benevolent Association to raise money for military families and the Red Cross. He claimed to have been born in Wisconsin rather than Hungary and sometimes ignored anti-Semitic comments made by those around him. His stories feel electric and contemporary.”Īs Rich Tenorio reported for the Times of Israel in 2018, Houdini occasionally downplayed his Jewish heritage. “Escaping from jail while stripped naked, that is still an incredible feat.

“His tricks are still amazing,” Houdini expert John Cox told Smithsonian magazine’s Jackson Landers in 2017. The son of a rabbi, he got his start as a performer at vaudeville shows in the 1890s, performing magic tricks and escaping from handcuffs and locked trunks. Houdini, who was born Erik Weisz in Hungary in 1874, arrived in the United States when he was 4 years old. From immigrant Harry Houdini to first-generation American David Copperfield, this event clearly demonstrates what’s possible when individuals are simply given the chance to be great.” “With this event, we are able to celebrate a cross-generational story. “The kinds of ‘Only in America’ stories we explore in the museum are in great part about the legacies created for future generations,” says museum trustee and induction gala chair Sharon Tobin Kestenbaum in a statement. Previous honorees include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Steven Spielberg, Barbara Streisand, Emma Lazarus and Irving Berlin. The Smithsonian Affiliate’s hall of fame-represented by a display titled “ Only in America”-recognizes the achievements of American Jews. This December, the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia will induct stage magicians Harry Houdini and David Copperfield into its hall of fame, the Associated Press reports.

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