Full Description
In 1942, YIVO held a contest for the best autobiography by a Jewish immigrant on the theme "Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America." Chosen from over two hundred entries, and translated from Yiddish, the nine life stories in My Future Is in America provide a compelling portrait of American Jewish life in the immigrant generation at the turn of the twentieth century.
The writers arrived in America in every decade from the 1890s to the 1920s. They include manual workers, shopkeepers, housewives, communal activists, and professionals who came from all parts of Eastern Europe and ushered in a new era in American Jewish history. In their own words, the immigrant writers convey the complexities of the transition between the Old and New Worlds.
An Introduction places the writings in historical and literary context, and annotations explain historical and cultural allusions made by the writers. This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.
Published in conjunction with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii A Note on Annotations and Transliteration xi Introduction: Yiddish Social Science and Jewish Immigrant Autobiography Jocelyn Cohen and Daniel Soyer * 1 Success or Failure? Minnie Goldstein * 2 Why I Came to America Ben Reisman * 3 I Have Nothing to Complain About Shmuel Krone * 4 Why I Left My Old Home and What I Have Accomplished in America Aaron Domnitz * 5 What Drove Me to America and My Experiences in Europe and America Rose Schoenfeld * 6 My Future Is in America Rose Silverman * 7 The Movies Pale in Comparison Bertha Fox * 8 Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America Chaim Kusnetz 9 I Haven't Lost Anything by Coming to America Minnie Kusnetz Glossary Index About the Editors
