The Death of an American Jewish Community: A Tragedy of Good Intentions [Paperback]

Hillel Levine (Author), Lawrence Harmon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 1993

'The Death Of An American Jewish Community: A Tragedy of Good Intentions, ' with much of its concentration on the policies of banks and real estate interests on ethnic communities in the 1960s, should help fill in the time line and develop an focus on ethnic relations and urban affairs more in the social structural direction.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a well-researched, instructive, controversial analysis, Levine, a rabbi and director of Judaic Studies at Boston University, and Harmon, former editor of Boston's Jewish Advocate , show how forces external to the black and Jewish communities of Boston undermined their relationship. At issue: blockbusting in the Roxbury-Dorchester-Mattapan sections of the city, where the mid-1960s population of 90,000 Jews has been reduced to 2500. At fault, according to the authors, are: badly administered federal programs underwriting mortgage loans with little or no down payment to minority low-income and welfare families; local redevelopment agencies; profiteering realtors; establishment Jewry who, the book charges, abandoned working-class coreligionists; plus the consortium comprising Boston Banks Urban Renewal (B-BURG), which secretly established a boundary within the Jewish section as the only area in which insured mortgages would be granted, and only to blacks. B-BURG'S ribbon-cutting took place in 1968, and within three months 314 loans were made. By 1974, however, 50% of B-BURG purchasers had lost their homes through either foreclosure or abandonment, and the area developed its present alarming crime rate. Levine and Harmon present stories of harrassment, panic selling and violence, while singling out neighborhood Jews and blacks who tried to make integration succeed. The book brings a scandal to the docket, naming culprits and arguing a case that needs to be addressed--and not only in Boston.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A metaphor for America's urban tragedy as told in the dramatic story of old Jewish Boston's swift and cruel demise. According to Levine (Sociology and Religion/Boston Univ.) and Harmon (ed., Brookline Citizen), idealistic advocates of racial integration and greedy real-estate kingpins conspired in the mid- 60's to target the Jewish inner-city enclaves of Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury for a massive infusion of poor blacks. Working-class areas like ``Southie'' (the Irish neighborhood) and the North End (Boston's Italian stronghold), the authors say, were spared from the carrots of mortgage manna (e.g., banks conspiring to offer Dorchester mortgages easily, and only, to blacks) and the sticks of violent blockbusting techniques (including synagogue burnings) because it was known that these minorities would rather fight than take flight. Levine and Harmon are sympathetic to the goals of racial integration but are indignant over the brutality and unfairness that accompanied these orchestrations. Bankers and politicians are indicted here by elaborate court evidence and by supplementary research cited by the authors, who use their insiders' passion (Harmon was born and raised in Dorchester) and professional expertise to forever preserve the corned-beef flavor of old Blue Hill Avenue. As much an elegiac memory book of old Jewish Boston as a searing indictment against her killers. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (March 29, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029138663
• ISBN-13: 978-0029138663
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good case study, August 18, 2004

By 

Book Reader (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of an American Jewish Community: A Tragedy of Good Intentions (Hardcover)

As this type of exodus had occurred before in other large U.S cities, I believe this book is an excellent detailed account of what occurred in Boston. The author does a great job of showing all of the issues facing those involved (local politicians, Jews, Blacks, etc.). The end got a little boring for me since I was interested less in the legislation surrounding this problem and more in how it affected individuals. I highly recommend this book if you're from the Boston area or know the area they speak of well.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who's to blame, November 22, 1999

By 

ExPatBostonian "David" (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of an American Jewish Community: A Tragedy of Good Intentions (Paperback)

I grew up in the neighbourhood described in this book. We left in the mid-fifties along with many other families for the near suburbs, but I remember the vitality of the neighbourhood well. We continued to return to the area (just off Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury) until my remaining relatives were driven out.

The authors go into great detail to set the scene of the neighbourhood and to describe the motives and actions of the main participants. I think that there is sufficient evidence to conclude whether any party has a greater share of the blame -- if blame must be attached at all. The authors point their finger at the banks (who always seem to be castigated for being Brahmins). Relying on the authors' own evidence, I conclude that it was the result of the cruel, vicious, criminal and arrogant, posturing blacks who drove the Jews out. Exceptions to this were noted in the book. The authors said that the Irish were tougher and wouldn't give in to intimidation so easily; the Jews were seen as easy marks. How right those harsh characterisations were!.

The book left my mother in tears. Highly accurate, the book will give you something to cry over if you knew the area. It will puncture a liberal myth in any case.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bordering on Excellence but not the Power Broker, June 15, 2004

By 

"bentley_baby" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of an American Jewish Community: A Tragedy of Good Intentions (Paperback)

As a student of Urban Life/History in the US, there are two great books to read on urban renewal: this book and the Power Broker (Caro). What Levine and Harmon expose in Boston, Caro does the same for NY. The difference is that the latter seeks to blame an individual (Robert Moses) for the demise of communities, cultures, homes and neighborhoods, while the former holds financial institutions and the government accountable. Nonetheless, I believe this book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the intracies surrounding urban development. If you are like me, you will not put this book down.