Jewish Americans
HIS 206
Jewish Identity
• Can be both religious & ethnic/cultural identity
▫ Use of religious symbols may be sign of cultural identity
rather than religious observance
▫ 41% of Jewish Americans belong to synagogue
 11% attend services weekly
 28% attend at least once a month
 59% attend on High Holy Days
• 3 main branches of Judaism in U.S.:
▫ Orthodox (7%) – accept divine authorship of Torah &
interpret it literally, maintain full observance of Law
▫ Conservative (38%) – founded in 1913 by Solomon
Schecter; accept divine authorship but interpret Torah
flexibly
▫ Reform (42%) – deny divine authorship of Torah & do not
obey Law literally
Jewish Faith
• Scripture = Tenakh – acronym for Torah (Law),
Nevi’im (Prophets) & Kethuvim (Writings)
▫ Orthodox also accept Talmud (Rabbinic commentaries)
• In U.S., worship influenced by Christian styles
▫ Synagogue is house of worship (Beth T’filoh), study
(Beth Hamidrosh), & community gathering (Beth
Haknesseth)
▫ Rabbi has taken on roles of Christian minister/priest –
performing rituals, preaching sermons, visiting sick, etc.
▫ Beth Din = rabbinical courts which can resolve disputes
▫ Kashruth (Kosher) = dietary laws enforced by shohets
Jewish Holidays
• Rosh Hashanah – New Year; begins 10 Days of Awe
• Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement
• Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles to commemorate 40
years in wilderness
• Pesach – Passover; commemorating escape from
Egypt
• Shavu’ot – Pentecost; celebrates harvest & giving of
Law to Moses
• Purim – commemorates Esther’s rescue of Jews in
Persian Empire
• Channukah – commemorates Maccabean revolt
against Seleucid Empire
Jewish Immigrants
• 4 waves of Jewish immigration to U.S.:
▫
▫
▫
▫
Colonial – mostly Sephardic Jews
Mid-19th century – German Jews
1890-1910 – over 1 million Russian Jews
Post – WWII – refugees & Holocaust survivors
• Jewish-American organizations formed for various
purposes
▫ Landsmanschaftn – mutual aid societies
▫ Hebrew Benevolent Society (1828) & B’nai B’rith
(1845) directed charity efforts
▫ Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society helped newcomers
▫ American Jewish Committee & Anti-Defamation
League combat prejudice & discrimination
Anti-Semitism in America
Assimilation
• Ghettoes delayed assimilation
▫ In Europe, ghettoes imposed by
Christians
▫ In U.S., voluntarily chosen to
maintain culture & keep kashruth
▫ Often faced de facto segregation
• Widespread acceptance & assimilation
began during WWII
▫
▫
▫
▫
Holocaust created great sympathy
Prior to 1965, exogamy rate was 9%
25% by 1974, 52% by 1985
Black – Jewish relations often
strained due to Jewish role as
middlemen (landlords, shopkeepers)
Hank Greenberg, Detroit Tigers