1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910820306703321

Autore

Weissbach Lee Shai <1947->

Titolo

Jewish life in small-town America : a history / / Lee Shai Weissbach

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven, : Yale University Press, c2005

ISBN

1-281-74107-8

9786611741075

0-300-12765-0

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (448 p.)

Disciplina

307.76/2/089924073

Soggetti

Jews - United States - Social conditions - 19th century

Jews - United States - Social conditions - 20th century

Cities and towns - Religious aspects - Judaism

City and town life - United States - History

United States History, Local

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [325]-336)and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Patterns of Evidence -- 2. Patterns of Settlement The Early Years -- 3. Patterns of Settlement -- 4. Patterns of Stability and Mobility -- 5. Patterns of Livelihood and Class -- 6. Patterns of Family Life -- 7. Patterns of Congregational Organization -- 8. Patterns of Synagogue History -- 9. Patterns of Religious Leadership -- 10. Patterns of Culture -- 11. Patterns of Culture -- 12. Patterns of Prejudice and of Transformation -- Epilogue -- Reading the Manuscript Census -- Bibliographic Essay -- Appendix of Tables -- Notes -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

In this book, Lee Shai Weissbach offers the first comprehensive portrait of small-town Jewish life in America. Exploring the history of communities of 100 to 1000 Jews, the book focuses on the years from the mid-nineteenth century to World War II. Weissbach examines the dynamics of 490 communities across the United States and reveals that smaller Jewish centers were not simply miniature versions of larger communities but were instead alternative kinds of communities in many respects. The book investigates topics ranging from migration patterns to occupational choices, from Jewish education and marriage



strategies to congregational organization. The story of smaller Jewish communities attests to the richness and complexity of American Jewish history and also serves to remind us of the diversity of small-town society in times past.