Topics in American Jewish History: History 74900
Professor Thomas Kessner. T 2:00-4:00pm
For those who would understand the history of the United States and its diverse people the history of the Jews in the US is significant; for those who would understand Jewish history, the role of the Jewish community in the United States is crucial. Less than one hundred years ago many would have questioned this latter statement. After all, the important centers of world Jewry were located across the Atlantic and much that was important in Jewish life transpired there. But troubles and tragedies triggered a series of migrations that brought millions of Jews to the U.S. and today the U.S. has the largest Jewish population in the world. We will be investigating some of the uprooting forces that accounted for the waves of Jewish immigration. They came (especially in the period 1880-1920) in the millions, and confronted many of the conventional immigrant challenges; and others that were quite unique. In time this previously marginal population formed an influential minority populating America’s large cities and lending their institutions a piquant cultural tone.