PORTSMOUTH — The Jewish community in the Portsmouth area helped smooth negotiations between the Russians and the Japanese, effectively ending the Russo-Japanese War, according to New Hampshire Humanities Council speaker Charles B. Doleac, who addressed a gathering Sunday at Temple Israel.

PORTSMOUTH — The Jewish community in the Portsmouth area helped smooth negotiations between the Russians and the Japanese, effectively ending the Russo-Japanese War, according to New Hampshire Humanities Council speaker Charles B. Doleac, who addressed a gathering Sunday at Temple Israel.



The Portsmouth Peace Treaty was signed on Sept. 5, 1905, largely through the diplomatic expertise of then-President Theodore Roosevelt to bring both sides to the table. For his humanitarian efforts, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906.



Doleac said Portsmouth was the perfect choice for the talks, largely due to an established Jewish community, with many residents having ties to Russia. Temple Israel was founded in 1905.



"I think the Temple people likely had influence that helped facilitate open dialogue because many of them had ties to Russia," Doleac said. "Russian diplomat Sergius Witte talked to all the local Jewish groups in order to boost the czar's reputation."



Doleac is actively seeking narrative accounts from anyone with stories to tell of their family ties to Russia.



Durham resident Hans Heilbronner is retired from the University of New Hampshire, where he taught Russian history. He said the contribution of the local Jewish community was more in terms of providing a comfortable setting than in having any direct influence on the negotiations.



"In conversations with locals, I think the negotiators had a chance to gain a perspective they didn't have before," Heilbronner said. "Many of the people here were ambivalent. They wanted to push for better treatment of their relatives back in Russia while wanting things to go well here."



Heilbronner said his father, Henry Wilcher, fled Russia and came to the United States to avoid interment in a very discriminatory Russian environment.



Doleac helped to create the Portsmouth Peace Treaty trail, detailing locations where both major and minor events of the diplomatic negotiations took place.



In 2010, state legislation was passed declaring Sept. 5 as Portsmouth Peace Treaty day to recognize the role ordinary citizens played in providing a neutral and supportive atmosphere for the delegates' negotiations.



Stephanie Seacord, director of public affairs for the Portsmouth Peace Treaty forum, said Doleac, a Portsmouth lawyer, began his research after talking with a Japanese woman who told him stories of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty negotiations.



"He was an Army brat and had lived for a few years in Japan," Seacord said. "He understands the culture. The story interested him historically, and he became a founder of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty forum and the Japan-American Society of New Hampshire."



Anyone who has stories to tell, or who wants to learn more about the Peace Treaty Forum, is encouraged to visit www.portsmouthpeacetreaty.com.