Jewish New York - by Deborah Dash Moore & Jeffrey S Gurock & Annie Polland & Howard B Rock & Daniel Soyer (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The definitive history of Jews in New York and how they transformed the city

Jewish New York reveals the multifaceted world of one of the city's most important ethnic and religious groups.

Jewish immigrants changed New York. They built its clothing industry and constructed huge swaths of apartment buildings. New York Jews helped to make the city the center of the nation's publishing industry and shaped popular culture in music, theater, and the arts. With a strong sense of social justice, a dedication to civil rights and civil liberties, and a belief in the duty of government to provide social welfare for all its citizens, New York Jews influenced the city, state, and nation with a new wave of social activism.

In turn, New York transformed Judaism and stimulated religious pluralism, Jewish denominationalism, and contemporary feminism. The city's neighborhoods hosted unbelievably diverse types of Jews, from Communists to Hasidim. Jewish New York not only describes Jews' many positive influences on New York, but also exposes their struggles with poverty and anti-Semitism. These injustices reinforced an exemplary commitment to remaking New York into a model multiethnic, multiracial, and multireligious world city.

Based on the acclaimed multi-volume set City of Promises: A History of the Jews of New York winner of the National Jewish Book Council 2012 Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year Award, Jewish New York spans three centuries, tracing the earliest arrival of Jews in New Amsterdam to the recent immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union.

Review Quotes

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"A dramatic telling of our tale, looking at New York as a home to Jews who came at different times, from different places, who made their different ways in the city and significantly made the city in the process. The book takes a fierce look at questions of national origin, class, language, work and wealth, explains what it means to be Jewish in New York, what the roots are of the citys diversity, and how Jews grew in and with New York over more than 300 years."

"--Ruth Messinger, Former Manhattan Borough President

""American Jews arent going anywhere. What they are going to be is very, very different. . . . This difference is nowhere more startling than when observed within the longer trajectory of New Yorks Jewish history. Allowing us to look back at that history is Jewish New York. . . a thorough and readable work."-- "The Forward"

"A definitive look at how Jewish New Yorkers and New York City shaped each other. The lively narrative begins in the 17th century, with the arrival of the first Jews in North America, and runs through 2015. This is the best kind of popular history: one that does not sacrifice nuance or detail for accessibility."-- "STARRED Publishers Weekly"

"A highly enjoyable read, made all the more pleasurable by the beautiful illustrations sprinkled throughout the book."-- "Gotham Center"

"A lively and visually rich volume, Jewish New York explores the history of Jewish New Yorkers and their role in transforming New York into the distinctive global city it is today . . . . This incredible story, known only in fragments, now appears in a single volume."-- "Brooklyn Daily Eagle"

"Chronicling the story of Jews in New York is an undertaking as tall as the Empire State Building, and as multilayered as a pastrami on rye from Katzs Delicatessen. But it has been achieved inJewish New York."-- "Times of Israel"

"Deborah Dash Moore has provided a magisterial history of the Jews of New York. A hub of both American and Jewish innovation, New Yorks bustling metropolis became home to millions of Jews. New York gave Jewish life a distinct character, even as Jews helped to shape the essence of the city. This fascinating study explores the streets, synagogues, politics, and organizations of New York Jewry as well as its diverse cultural expressions. Moores mastery of New York Jewish history and deep knowledge of the urban rhythms of the city shine through on every page."--Beth S. Wenger, Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania

"Jewish New York is a substantial and enlightening social history . . . The book is a galaxy of things I didnt know."--Jonathan Margolis, The Jewish Chronicle

"Jewish New York.. . chronicle[s] the growth of Jewish influence on the city through the 21st century, citing the success of several prominent New Yorkers, including two former Brooklynites, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Bernie Sanders."-- "The New York Times"

"Jewish New Yorkis a substantial and enlightening social history, taking us from the first Jews arriving from the Dutch colonies in 1654 to the city that became home to 1.1 million Jews by the First World War, to the return of suburbanised Jews in recent years as financiers and creatives to the very Lower East Side their grandparents struggled to leave."-- "The Jewish Chronicle"

"This survey ofJewishNewYorkis a valuable contribution toJewishliterature, and the appended visual essay is an added bonus. An epic story of a people who have been, and remain, central to the life ofNewYorkCity."-- "Kirkus Review"

About the Author

Deborah Dash Moore (Author)
Deborah Dash Moore is Frederick G. L. Huetwell Professor of History and Professor of Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. She is the author and editor of a number of books, including Vernacular Religion: Collected Essays of Leonard Norman Primiano (NYU, 2022), Jewish New York: The Remarkable Story of A City and A People (NYU, 2020), City of Promises: A History of the Jews of New York (NYU, 2012), and GI Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation (Harvard, 2006).

Jeffrey S. Gurock (Author)
Jeffrey S. Gurock is the Libby M. Klaperman Professor of Jewish history at Yeshiva University. He has written or edited 25 books, including Jews in Gotham, which in 2012 was honored as Winner, Everett Family Foundation Award, Jewish Book of the Year, Jewish Book Council.

Annie Polland (Author)
Annie Polland is Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society. She was previously Executive Vice President for Programs and Education at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, where she authored, Landmark of the Spirit: The Eldridge Street Synagogue.

Howard B. Rock (Author)
Howard B. Rock is Professor of History Emeritus at Florida International University. He is the 2012 runner-up for the Dixon Ryan Manuscript Award presented by the New York State Historical Association, for Haven of Liberty: New York Jews in the New World, 1654-1865. He is also the author or editor of five other books.

Daniel Soyer (Author)
Daniel Soyer is professor of history at Fordham University. He is the author of Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939, and editor of several other books.