This is the first anthology in more than half a century to offer fresh insight into the history of Jews and Judaism in America. Beginning with six chronological survey essays, the collection builds with twelve topical essays focusing on a variety of important themes in the American Jewish and Judaic experience.The volume opens with early Jewish settlers (1654-1820), the expansion of Jewish life in America (1820-1901), the great wave of eastern European Jewish immigrants (1880-1924), the character of American Judaism between the two world wars, American Jewish life from the end of World War II to the Six-Day War, and the growth of Jews' influence and affluence. The second half of the book includes essays on the community of Orthodox Jews, the history of Jewish education in America, the rise of Jewish social clubs at the turn of the century, the history of southern and western Jewry, Jewish responses to Nazism and the Holocaust; feminism's confrontation with Judaism, and the eternal question of what defines American Jewish culture. The contributions of distinguished scholars seamlessly integrate recent scholarship. Endnotes provide the reader with access to the authors' research and sources. Comprehensive, original, and elegantly crafted, The Columbia History of Jews and Judaism in America not only introduces the student to this thrilling history but also provides new perspectives for the scholar.Contributors: Dianne Ashton (Rowan University), Mark K. Bauman (Atlanta Metropolitan College), Kimmy Caplan (Bar-Ilan University, Israel), Eli Faber (City University of New York), Eric L. Goldstein (University of Michigan), Jeffrey S. Gurock (Yeshiva University), Jenna Weissman Joselit (Princeton University), Melissa Klapper (Rowan University), Alan T. Levenson (Siegal College of Judaic Studies), Rafael Medoff (David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies), Pamela S. Nadell (American University), Riv-Ellen Prell (University of Minnesota), Linda S. Raphael (George Washington University), Jeffrey Shandler (Rutgers University), Michael E. Staub (City University of New York), William Toll (University of Oregon), Beth S. Wenger (University of Pennsylvania), Stephen J. Whitfield (Brandeis University)

Introduction, by Marc Lee RaphaelChronological Essays1. America's Earliest Jewish Settlers, 1654-1820, by Eli Faber2. Expanding Jewish Life in America, 1826-1901, by Dianne Ashton3. The Great Wave: Eastern European Jewish Immigration to the United States, 1880-1924, by Eric L. Goldstein4. American Judaism Between the Two World Wars, by Jeffrey S. Gurock5. Triumph, Accommodation, and Resistance: American Jewish Life from the End of World War II to the Six-Day War, by Riv-Ellen Prell6. Influence and Affluence, 1967-2000, by Stephen J. WhitfieldTopical Essays7. The Ever Dying Denomination: American Jewish Orthodoxy, 1824-1965, by Kimmy Caplan8. The History of Jewish Education in America, 1700-2000, by Melissa Klapper9. A Regional Context for Pacific Jewry, 1880-1930, by William Toll10. Fun and Games: The American Jewish Social Club, by Jenna Weissman Joselit11. A Multithematic Approach to Southern Jewish History, by Mark K. Bauman12. American Jewish Responses to Nazism and the Holocaust, by Rafael Medoff13. Holocaust Consciousness and American Jewish Politics, by Michael E. Staub14. What Is American Jewish Culture?, by Jeffrey Shandler15. Rites of Citizenship: Jewish Celebrations of the Nation, by Beth S. Wenger16. A Bright New Constellation: Feminism and American Judaism, by Pamela S. Nadell17. Contemporary Jewish Thought, by Alan T. Levenson18. There's No Space Like Home: The Representation of Jewish American Life, by Linda S. RaphaelContributorsIndex