American Jewry : a new history / Eli Lederhendler.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lederhendler, Eli, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--United States--History.

Jews.

United States.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 331 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Summary:

Understanding the history of Jews in America requires a synthesis of over 350 years of documents, social data, literature and journalism, architecture, oratory, and debate, and each time that history is observed, new questions are raised and new perspectives found. This book presents a readable account of that history, with an emphasis on migration patterns, social and religious life, and political and economic affairs. It explains the long-range development of American Jewry as the product of 'many new beginnings' more than a direct evolution leading from early colonial experiments to latter-day social patterns. This book also shows that not all of American Jewish history has occurred on American soil, arguing that Jews, more than most other Americans, persist in assigning crucial importance to international issues. This approach provides a fresh perspective that can open up the practice of minority-history writing, so that the very concepts of minority and majority should not be taken for granted.

Contents:

First encounters, new beginnings: from colonial times to the Civil War

Changing places: migration and Americanization,1860s-1920s

Finding space in America,1920s-1950s

The European nexus: Spain, Germany, and Russia

Recapitulations and more beginnings,1950s to the 21st century.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780521196086

0521196086

9781316632628

1316632628

OCLC:

951190521