Everything You Need to Know about America's Jews and their History [Mass Market Paperback]

Roy Rosenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

An accessible, popular history of American Jews, this title explores contributions of the early colonial settlers to modern civil rights leaders to the Marx Brothers and Barbra Streisand. Roy Rosenberg fills the book with information on religious and secular life, on assimilation and prejudice, drawing from a broad range of sources to provide a rich and vivid documentation of more than 300 years of the Jewish presence in American society.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Rabbi and scholar Rosenberg (The Veneration of Divine Justice, Greenwood, 1995) traces Jewish American contributions from the mid-17th century to the present. He points out that eastern Colonial America became the hub of Jewish immigration and activity: Jews quickly became prominent financiers, inventors, and businessmen in the new land. The text reveals Jewish thought and involvement in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, social equality, women's emancipation, and medicine. Jewish participation in the American political process has increased substantially, partly as a result of the Jewish obsession with education and security, the author believes. This same education, he points out, has resulted in a Jewish "monopoly" on Nobel prizes earned by Americans. Rosenberg's work is humorous yet serious and quite informative. It is not a detailed text but an introduction to Jewish American studies. Recommended for public libraries.?Clemente Garcia, Edinburg P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Plume (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452276284
• ISBN-13: 978-0452276284
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,433,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SURVEY OF AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY, December 18, 2000

By 

Bonita L. Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everything You Need to Know about America's Jews and their History (Mass Market Paperback)

As a religious minority, Jewish Americans have had a great impact on the life and culture of the United States. Unfortunately many people are unaware of their contributions and thus another chapter in America's diverse history was ignored until now. Roy Rosenberg provides you with a sweeping historical survey of Jews in the United States from its very beginnings up to the present (in this case 1997).

Don't expect to be bored with countless dates and facts. Using a question and answer format, you are immediately engaged in being illuminated about the history of Jewish life in America. Have all the questions you have asked about Jews in America answered for you as you share in learning about their contributions and lifestyles that influenced American culture.

This is an excellent book for those who are unaware of Jewish history in the United States as well as those who have an interest in America's ethnic cultures. It serves as an introductory text which should lead you to further exploration.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just right., February 25, 2000

By 

David Welsh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everything You Need to Know about America's Jews and their History (Mass Market Paperback)

As a Docent at the Skirball Museum I find this book most imformative. It enables one to accurately tell the stories of our people and their life in the USA. One item which is missing is the story of the first Jew to come to the Colonies, Jaochim Gans of Prague, sent to assay the colony of Virginia in 1585. The first Jew to come to what is now the USA. Almost 80 years before the Sephardim from Brazil! ( American Jewish History - Jewish Historical Society June 1998.