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Full Description
At the turn of the 20th century, Jewish families scattered by migration could stay in touch only through letters. Jews in the Russian Empire and America wrote business letters, romantic letters, and emotionally intense family letters. But for many Jews who were unaccustomed to communicating their public and private thoughts in writing, correspondence was a challenge. How could they make sure their spelling was correct and they were organizing their thoughts properly? A popular solution was to consult brivnshtelers, Yiddish-language books of model letters. Dear Mendl, Dear Reyzl translates selections from these model-letter books and includes essays and annotations that illuminate their role as guides to a past culture.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Translation and Romanization
1. The World of Brivnshtelers
Encountering modernity
The brivnshteler and traditional education
The brivnshteler and the history of model letters
Yiddish language, Yiddish publishing, and the brivnshteler
The brivnshteler and literature
What makes the brivnshteler Jewish?
2. From the Pages of Brivnshtelers
Modernity and mobility
Parents and children: Russia
Parents and children: America
Courtship and marriage: Russia
Courtship and marriage: America
Business
Judaism and Jewish Identity
Imagining America
3. Beyond Letters
Bibliography
Index
