Synopses & Reviews
What was it like for the first Jews to arrive in the New World? How did a Bavarian immigrant's crockery business expand into one of the nation’s top department stores? How did Yiddish theater and humor influence Hollywood and mainstream entertainment? How has Israel affected American Jewish identity? This magnificently illustrated book, companion to the major PBS television documentary produced by David Grubin, tells the history of Jews in America in a captivating and accessible collection of first-person accounts, interviews, distinguished scholarly writings, and profiles of prominent Jews as well as ordinary Jewish immigrants.
The text and images trace more than three hundred years of American Jewish history— from the first arrival of Jews in colonial America in 1654 to the social movements of today and everything in between. The book chronicles the mass immigration of Jews in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the innovations of American Jewish culture, responses to anti-Semitism, and transition from immigrant to middle-class neighborhoods. It tells the story of the Jewish presence in sports and entertainment, the transformative watershed events of World War II and the Holocaust, the impact of the establishment of Israel, the emergence of new forms of American Jewish identity, and the responsibilities of the Jewish community today.
This comprehensive and often surprising look at the growth, difficulties, and accomplishments of the Jewish American community is further enhanced by the intimate first-person accounts of several generations of American Jews. Activists, musicians, spiritual leaders, politicians, and so many others come to life through their photos, correspondence, and interviews. They lend faces and personal experiences to the movements and events they lived through, and they remind us that the story of Jews is the story of America. Carving out a life for themselves in the free and open society of the United States, Jews maintained their identity while becoming an integral part of American culture.
Review
"A vibrant and informative account of Jewish America." Booklist
Synopsis
The PBS series The Jewish Americans offers a look at the growth, difficulties, and accomplishments of the Jewish-American community from the mid-17th century to the present day. This tie-in volume draws on the series and provides additional insights and information on many of the topics covered.
About the Author
In addition to authoring The Jewish Americans, Beth S. Wenger served on the board of distinguished scholars who advised the PBS series. She holds the Katz Family Chair in American Jewish History and is Associate Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where she serves as Director of the Jewish Studies Program. Wenger is the author of New York Jews and the Great Depression: Uncertain Promise (1996) which was awarded the Salo Baron Prize in Jewish History. The author of numerous scholarly articles, Wenger also co-edited Remembering the Lower East Side: American Jewish Reflections (2000) and "Holy Land": Place, Past, and Future in American Jewish Culture (1997). Wenger serves on the board of the Association for Jewish Studies and she is also a member of the academic advisory boards of the Center for Jewish History, the American Jewish Historical Society, and the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.