Middlebury

JWST 0201

Modern American Jewish History

Modern American Jewish History
What characterizes the modern American Jewish experience? Is it the effort to assimilate into the American mainstream? Is it about the struggle to preserve Jewish distinctiveness? Drawing on historical scholarship and primary sources (films, art, cartoons, newspapers, literature), we will consider the many meanings of American Jewish identity, particularly its religious, racial, ethnic, and national connotations. We will begin in the 1880s, during the largest wave of Jewish immigration to the U.S. Topics will include “Americanization,” labor, political activism, religious reform, World War II and the Holocaust, “Jewish continuity,” gender roles, race relations, urbanization, suburbanization, and the relationship of Jews to white flight, Zionism, anti-Semitism, and philanthropy. 3 hrs. lect.
Subject:
Jewish Studies
Department:
Jewish Studies
Division:
Interdisciplinary
Requirements Fulfilled:
AMR HIS NOR
Equivalent Courses:
HIST 0201 *

Sections in Fall 2024

Fall 2024

JWST0201A-F24 Lecture (Povitz)