Family of Strangers
Building a Jewish Community in Washington State
University of Washington Press
Published on 1. July 2003
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-0-295-98297-7 (ISBN)
Description
2004 Washington State Book Award Finalist
Family of Strangers draws on hundreds of newspaper accounts, articles, and oral histories to provide the first comprehensive account of Washington State's Jewish residents. The first Jewish immigrants came in a small trickle during the middle of the nineteenth century, and then in larger numbers during the open-door era that stretched to 1924. They included Ashkenazim primarily from the cities, towns, and shtetls of central and eastern Europe and Sephardim from the Mediterranean Basin. Followed by European Jews fleeing persecution by the Nazis and discrimination by the Soviet Union, their numbers grew with the arrival of American Jews who were part of the great westward movement in the postwar era.
Isolated from the large centers of American Jewish life, speaking different languages -- German, Yiddish, Ladino, and others -- and following different religious customs, initially these groups had little in common other than their identification as Jews, but they succeeded in developing a community whose members made notable contributions to the civic and cultural history of Washington State.
Regional politics, lively neighborhood histories, local responses to the plight of Europe's Jews during World War II, commercial and business enterprises, detailed histories of congregations, organizational philanthropy and social work, and the contributions of Washington's Jewish musicians and artists are presented in this generously illustrated book, often through the voices of those who took part. The vibrant life stories of dozens of notable local individuals are embedded in the overall context of how the Jews of Washington State organized a group of complementary and thriving cultural and religious communities.
Family of Strangers draws on hundreds of newspaper accounts, articles, and oral histories to provide the first comprehensive account of Washington State's Jewish residents. The first Jewish immigrants came in a small trickle during the middle of the nineteenth century, and then in larger numbers during the open-door era that stretched to 1924. They included Ashkenazim primarily from the cities, towns, and shtetls of central and eastern Europe and Sephardim from the Mediterranean Basin. Followed by European Jews fleeing persecution by the Nazis and discrimination by the Soviet Union, their numbers grew with the arrival of American Jews who were part of the great westward movement in the postwar era.
Isolated from the large centers of American Jewish life, speaking different languages -- German, Yiddish, Ladino, and others -- and following different religious customs, initially these groups had little in common other than their identification as Jews, but they succeeded in developing a community whose members made notable contributions to the civic and cultural history of Washington State.
Regional politics, lively neighborhood histories, local responses to the plight of Europe's Jews during World War II, commercial and business enterprises, detailed histories of congregations, organizational philanthropy and social work, and the contributions of Washington's Jewish musicians and artists are presented in this generously illustrated book, often through the voices of those who took part. The vibrant life stories of dozens of notable local individuals are embedded in the overall context of how the Jews of Washington State organized a group of complementary and thriving cultural and religious communities.
Reviews / Votes
A compelling narrative that brings to life the aspirations, accomplishments, and struggles of myriad individuals, families, and congregations. * Montana: The Magazine of Western History *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Illustrations
123 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Weight
1161 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-98297-7 (9780295982977)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Molly Cone is the award-winning author of more than forty books for young readers. A native of Tacoma, she counts five generations of her and her husband's family born in Washington State. Lawyer and historian Howard Droker is the author of Seattle's Unsinkable Houseboats and numerous articles on Seattle's early Jews. Jacqueline Williams , also an award winner, is author of Wagon Wheel Kitchens, The Way We Ate, and The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capital Hill 1900-1946, and lectures widely about pioneer life in the Pacific Northwest. All three authors live in Seattle.
Content
PrefaceAcknowledgmentsCentral European PioneersEastern European PioneersSephardic PioneersUnity, Division, and FrictionFirst OrganizationsFirst CongregationsSeattle's Jewish NeighborhoodArt, Music and Theater in the Early YearsAn Obligation to StudyMore Than a Basket of FoodThe Crisis YearsThe Fourth Wave of ImmigrationPostwar GrowthExpanding Religious LifeArts in the Postwar YearsEpilogue: A Look Beyond the 1970sNotesIndex