Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939Landsmanshaftn, associations of immigrants from the same hometown, became the most popular form of organization among Eastern European Jewish immigrants to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jewish Immigrant Associations, by Daniel Soyer, holds an in-depth discussion on the importance of these hometown societies that provided members with valuable material benefits and served as arenas for formal and informal social interaction. In addition to discussing both continuity and transformation as features of the immigrant experience, this approach recognizes that ethnic identity is a socially constructed and malleable phenomenon. Soyer explores this process of construction by raising more specific questions about what immigrants themselves have meant by Americanization and how their hometown associations played an important part in the process. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Old World | 10 |
The New World | 29 |
Landsmanshaft Culture and | 49 |
Brothers in Need | 81 |
The Building Blocks of Community | 113 |
Institutional Dilemmas | 143 |
The Heroic Period | 161 |
Looking Backward | 190 |
Other editions - View all
Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939 Daniel Soyer Limited preview - 1997 |
Common terms and phrases
Abraham activities aid societies American Jewish American Jewish Congress appeal Archives of AJJDC Association August benefits Benevolent Society branches Brisker Brith brothers called century charity City Committee Congregation continued contributed culture December delegates doctors East Side Eastern established ethnic Europe European example February Federation ferband folder followed Forward fraternal funds Galician groups hand Hebrew helped History hometown honor hospital identity idishe immigrants important Independent individual institutions January Jewish community Jews July June Kehillah konvenshon landslayt landsmanshaftn leaders letter lives lodges March meeting membership Minutes movement mutual aid names November October orders organizations origin Polish political practice president received Records relief religious reported represented ritual role Russian September social strike synagogue Tageblat tion towns traditional Union United University Press women workers Workmen's Circle World Yiddish YIVO York Young