Publishers Weekly
★ 08/14/2017
Moore, professor of history and Judaic studies at the University of Michigan, seamlessly synthesizes the work of several colleagues (originally presented in the three-volume City of Promises: A History of the Jews of New York) to provide a definitive look at how Jewish New Yorkers and New York City shaped each other. The lively narrative begins in the 17th century, with the arrival of the first Jews in North America, and runs through 2015. Moore brings readers deeper into the story with occasional asides that offer perspectives on what New York residents at the time would have experienced or observed (including anecdotes regarding slave ownership, economic unrest, and labor actions). Given the starting point of the community—23 Dutch-Jewish refugees whom Peter Stuyvesant sought to deport—the evolution of the Jews of New York into a powerful cultural and political force with a national and international impact is nothing short of remarkable. Moore makes this transformation comprehensible by providing vivid snapshots of the personalities who helped make it happen, including Rebekah Bettelheim, Sender Jarmulowsky, and Meyer London. Other historical lenses reveal unexpected connections, as when Moore explains how ports “served as formative nodes in emerging Jewish civic equality.” This is the best kind of popular history: one that does not sacrifice nuance or detail for accessibility. (Oct.)
Ruth Messinger
""A dramatic telling of our tale, looking at New York as a home to Jews who came at different times, from different places, who made their different ways in the city and significantly made the city in the process. The book takes a fierce look at questions of national origin, class, language, work and wealth, explains what it means to be Jewish in New York, what the roots are of the citys diversity, and how Jews grew in and with New York over more than 300 years."
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Brooklyn Daily Eagle
"A lively and visually rich volume, Jewish New York explores the history of Jewish New Yorkers and their role in transforming New York into the distinctive global city it is today . . . . This incredible story, known only in fragments, now appears in a single volume."
Jonathan Margolis
"Jewish New York is a substantial and enlightening social history . . . The book is a galaxy of things I didnt know."
The Jewish Chronicle
"Jewish New Yorkis a substantial and enlightening social history, taking us from the first Jews arriving from the Dutch colonies in 1654 to the city that became home to 1.1 million Jews by the First World War, to the return of suburbanised Jews in recent years as financiers and creatives to the very Lower East Side their grandparents struggled to leave."
The Forward
""American Jews arent going anywhere. What they are going to be is very, very different. . . . This difference is nowhere more startling than when observed within the longer trajectory of New Yorks Jewish history. Allowing us to look back at that history is Jewish New York. . . a thorough and readable work."
The New York Times
"Jewish New York.. . chronicle[s] the growth of Jewish influence on the city through the 21st century, citing the success of several prominent New Yorkers, including two former Brooklynites, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Bernie Sanders."
Beth S. Wenger
"Deborah Dash Moore has provided a magisterial history of the Jews of New York. A hub of both American and Jewish innovation, New Yorks bustling metropolis became home to millions of Jews. New York gave Jewish life a distinct character, even as Jews helped to shape the essence of the city. This fascinating study explores the streets, synagogues, politics, and organizations of New York Jewry as well as its diverse cultural expressions. Moores mastery of New York Jewish history and deep knowledge of the urban rhythms of the city shine through on every page."
Times of Israel
"Chronicling the story of Jews in New York is an undertaking as tall as the Empire State Building, and as multilayered as a pastrami on rye from Katzs Delicatessen. But it has been achieved inJewish New York."
Gotham Center
"A highly enjoyable read, made all the more pleasurable by the beautiful illustrations sprinkled throughout the book."
The New York Times
"Jewish New York.. . chronicle[s] the growth of Jewish influence on the city through the 21st century, citing the success of several prominent New Yorkers, including two former Brooklynites, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Bernie Sanders."
From the Publisher
"Jewish New York is a substantial and enlightening social history, taking us from the first Jews arriving from the Dutch colonies in 1654 to the city that became home to 1.1 million Jews by the First World War, to the return of suburbanised Jews in recent years — as financiers and creatives — to the very Lower East Side their grandparents struggled to leave."- The Jewish Chronicle
" Jewish New York is a substantial and enlightening social history . . . The book is a galaxy of things I didn’t know."-Jonathan Margolis, The Jewish Chronicle
" Jewish New York deftly combines crisp writing, sharp analysis and sophisticated discussions of visual images to explore the evolving relationship between a world city and its Jews. Reaching from the seventeenth century to the present, and weaving together big themes and illuminating lives, the book delves into topics as varied as religion, politics, popular culture and gender. Essential for understanding both Jewish experiences and the broad contours of New York’s history."-Robert W. Snyder,author of Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York City
"A definitive look at how Jewish New Yorkers and New York City shaped each other. The lively narrative begins in the 17th century, with the arrival of the first Jews in North America, and runs through 2015. This is the best kind of popular history: one that does not sacrifice nuance or detail for accessibility."- STARRED Publishers Weekly
"Deborah Dash Moore has provided a magisterial history of the Jews of New York. A hub of both American and Jewish innovation, New York’s bustling metropolis became home to millions of Jews. New York gave Jewish life a distinct character, even as Jews helped to shape the essence of the city. This fascinating study explores the streets, synagogues, politics, and organizations of New York Jewry as well as its diverse cultural expressions. Moore’s mastery of New York Jewish history and deep knowledge of the urban rhythms of the city shine through on every page."-Beth S. Wenger,Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania
"A dramatic telling of our tale, looking at New York as a home to Jews who came at different times, from different places, who made their different ways in the city and significantly made the city in the process. The book takes a fierce look at questions of national origin, class, language, work and wealth, explains what it means to be Jewish in New York, what the roots are of the city’s diversity, and how Jews grew in and with New York over more than 300 years."
-Ruth Messinger,Former Manhattan Borough President
"A lively and visually rich volume, Jewish New York explores the history of Jewish New Yorkers and their role in transforming New York into the distinctive global city it is today . . . . This incredible story, known only in fragments, now appears in a single volume."- Brooklyn Daily Eagle
"This survey of Jewish New York is a valuable contribution to Jewish literature, and the appended visual essay is an added bonus. An epic story of a people who have been, and remain, central to the life of New York City."- Kirkus Review
"Chronicling the story of Jews in New York is an undertaking as tall as the Empire State Building, and as multilayered as a pastrami on rye from Katz’s Delicatessen. But it has been achieved in Jewish New York."- Times of Israel
"American Jews aren’t going anywhere. What they are going to be is very, very different. . . . This difference is nowhere more startling than when observed within the longer trajectory of New York’s Jewish history. Allowing us to look back at that history is Jewish New York. . . a thorough and readable work."
- The Forward
"A highly enjoyable read, made all the more pleasurable by the beautiful illustrations sprinkled throughout the book."- Gotham Center
" Jewish New York.. . chronicle[s] the growth of Jewish influence on the city through the 21st century, citing the success of several prominent New Yorkers, including two former Brooklynites, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Bernie Sanders."- The New York Times
Kirkus Reviews
2017-07-12
The long, complex story of Jews in Gotham.Moore (History and Judaic Studies/Univ. of Michigan; City of Promises: A History of the Jews of New York, 2012, etc.), along with her co-authors, begins with Jewish residence in Peter Stuyvesant's New Amsterdam and traces the tribe's sojourn there through the centuries to the present. As the city grew and prospered, the Jewish population did, as well. By the turn of the 19th century, New York was the largest Jewish city in history. It remains the capital of Jewish America, contributing in significant ways to politics, entertainment, trade, arts, economics, and gastronomy. When strictly Christian venues were closed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish New Yorkers, speaking English, German, Yiddish, and many other languages, maintained their own dedicated theaters, journals, social clubs, charities, and hospitals. Through wars, prejudice, and casualties, immigrants living in New York's Little Germany, or the Lower East Side, took to the boroughs, Grand Concourse, Bensonhurst, and elsewhere. They were the student scholars of Brooklyn College and City College, and their influence grew in education, law, street games, and the popularity of Chinese restaurants. Moore and her colleagues salute many individual contributors to the city's way of life, including Betty Friedan, Lubavitcher Rebbe, Leonard Bernstein, Gertrude Berg, Woody Allen, and Elena Kagan. Of course, any attempt to describe and assess the Jewish flavor of the metropolis must be selective. Others characters, less salubrious to the common good—e.g., master gangster Arnold Rothstein or mega-gonif Bernie Madoff—escape mention. Different curators might have offered different events and personalities along with the heritage and herring. Doubtless due to the book's many authors, there are a few duplicative points made. But no matter: this survey of Jewish New York is a valuable contribution to Jewish literature, and the appended visual essay is an added bonus. An epic story of a people who have been, and remain, central to the life of New York City.
