Jewish American Children 1940-1960

1. Jewish American Children1940-1960 Americanization, Anti-Semitism, Assimilation: Ashley Schwenk Oral History: Melinda Moore Language: Monica Moore Literature: Adina Laviolette Education: Crystal Greenwood Religion: Sarah Perkins Jewish Foods: Bruce Southworth

2. Jewish American ChildrenStudy Guide • Who was the pioneer of the Jewish summer camps? • What was the goal of these camps? • There was only minimal mention of Jewish culture or tradition in camp advertisements. Why is this significant? • How many Jews gained entry into the U.S. during 1933-43 and why was the number so low? • Although Jews weren’t racially separated like African-Americans, how else were they discriminated? • In 1943, Jewish youths and adults were the targets of which group, and why was nothing done to prevent it? • How did American consumption affect Jewish children? • How was the Holocaust treated and taught to children? • How did social mobility have a negative effect? • What was the JUJ? • How did oral history assist written research?

3. Jewish American ChildrenStudy Guide • How did oral history help Jewish children in regards to assimilation? • What is the difference between Hebrew and Yiddish? • How well was the Yiddish Language retained in the children? • What importance is the ability to retain the language of the Jews? • What does Jewish American Children’s Literature often portray? • What does “Yom Ha-Azma’ut” mean? • What is the name of a popular Hanukah game? • What were Jewish day schools called in Europe? • How many Jewish American students attended Jewish day schools in the United States in the early 1940’s? • What does “kosher” mean? • What part of the loaf of bread is the “challah”?

4. 1920-1960: Americanization, Anti-Semitism, Assimilation 1920s: Americanization • Who was the pioneer of the Jewish summer camps? • What was the goal of these camps? • There was only minimal mention of Jewish culture or tradition in camp advertisements. Why is this significant?

5. 1920s: Answers • Chester William Teller • The goal of the camps was to provide “normal, good, wholesome experiences” for Jewish boys and girls. • Jews placed emphasis on being Americans. Parents wanted their children to be comfortable and psychologically prepared for life in a non-Jewish society and teach them to be healthy American adults.

6. 1920-1960: Americanization, Anti-Semitism, Assimilation 1930-1940: Anti-Semitism • How many Jews gained entry into the U.S. during 1933-43 and why was the number so low? • Although Jews weren’t racially separated like African-Americans, how else were they discriminated? • In 1943, Jewish youths and adults were the targets of which group, and why was nothing done to prevent it?

7. 1930s-1940s: Answers • Only 165,756 Jews immigrated to the U.S. This is due to the strict quota immigration laws in the U.S. at the time which heavily restricted countries with higher Jewish populations, ex. Eastern Europe. • Jewish youths were excluded from colleges and universities, adults were denied from some occupations and craft unions. • Jews were the target of Irish Catholic citizens in Boston and New York. Jews were beaten, attacked, persecuted, much in the way African-Americans were treated by the Ku Klux Klan. It was a game; Irish teenagers would go after Jewish youths saying, “Let’s go Jew hunting”. Local authorities or Catholic clergy did not do anything to stop the violence because they too were of Irish descent, and would rather encourage the violence than stop it. As a result, Jewish youths were forced to go out in fear or not at all, groups stopped meeting, and shops and homes were vandalized.

8. 1920-1960: Americanization, Anti-Semitism, Assimilation 1950-1960: Assimilation • How did American consumption affect Jewish children? • How was the Holocaust treated and taught to children? • How did social mobility have a negative effect? • What was the JUJ?

9. 1950s-1960s: Answers • Children were heavily assimilated through American toys. In counter response, toy manufacturers came out with Jewish-themed counterparts. Consumption also changed the bar/bat mitzvah; the focus changed from the solemn rite of passage to the lavish, often expensive after party. • In schools, the Holocaust was romanticized. Children learned stories of Jewish heroes/heroines and strength, victimization was ignored. Survivors did not discuss their stories because they were told the American public wasn’t interested. • As Jews moved up the social ladder and out into the suburbs, they were excluded from many social programs which they had previously qualified for. • The JUJ was the Jews for Urban Justice, a youth activist group out of Washington DC.

10. Oral History Questions • How did oral history assist written research? --By filling in the gaps where no written documentation existed. • How did oral history help Jewish children in regards to assimilation? --Oral history helped Jewish children by communicating stories of their Jewish legacy, to pass on from one generation to another, during a time when being an all American was important. 

11. Importance of Oral History 1940-1960 to Jewish Children in America • In July 1944, Churchill wrote in reference to the holocaust, "There is no doubt that this is probably the greatest and most horrible single crime ever committed in the whole history of the world" (Chaikin 1987). The Nazis killed at least six million Jews, 1.5 million were children. • In America there were Jews that did not suffer the cruel treatment of the holocaust, yet no one could ignore what had happened. For the survivors who came to America, there was a need to have children to pass on not only their heritage, but also their stories of survival.

12. History and Culture • Oral history filled in gaps in historical, social, cultural, religious, and genealogical research where no written documentation existed. 

13. Oral History and Social Issues False Identities • False identities were created for reasons of protection, and moving forward. Oral history may have been one of the only tools of revealing these lost identities to Jewish children, and could help with the frustrations felt in losing identities and loved ones. Anti-Semitism • After World War II was over anti-Semitism began to dissipate, yet it still prevailed for years to come.  Oral history helped Jewish children deal with discrimination. by relating stories of triumph over adversity.. Assimilation • Oral history helped Jewish children by communicating stories of their Jewish legacy, to pass on from one generation to another, during a time when being an all American was important. Family Expectations • Oral history was a way cultural and family expectations were expressed to Jewish children. A family’s wish for their children to marry within their own group, could be passed onto Jewish children through not only their parents, but also through religious, educational, and social systems within the Jewish

14. Oral History and Emotional Problems Survivor’s guilt • Survivors guilt was sometimes felt by some survivors, because of living when other loved ones had not. This guilt was sometimes passed onto the children of survivors. Survival skills • Holocaust survivors learned behaviors in order to survive, and these behaviors could be passed onto their children, in the forms of, eating disorders, money issues, trust issues, and denial. Isolation • The children of survivors sometimes felt set apart from other children. Survivors could become highly overprotective, and guarded over their children because of their need of family heritage, which could lead to feelings of dread, hatred, fear, and insecurities. Fear of talking • For some survivors silence was survival; the silence did not end with the end of the war. A new silence of suppression arose out of the need to assimilate and forget the past.

15. Support • The telling of their stories for some survivors could be therapeutic, and the need for support, and communication, was important for the children of the Holocaust, children of survivors, and for future children.

16. Remembering Through Oral History The survivors of the holocaust were possibly the only link to many who had been killed; oral history was essential for memories and history to be kept alive. "Your sad holocaust is engraved in History, and nothing shall purge your deaths from our memories. For our memories are your only grave".(Chaikin1987). "Those who forget the past shall be condemned to repeat it.“ Santayana

17. Language Questions • What is the difference between Hebrew and Yiddish? Hebrew is considered to be the language of the Torah and the Old Testament. It is a Middle Eastern language which is 5,000+ years old. It is spoken by the Semitic Jews. Yiddish is over 1,000 years old and is spoken by Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. The two languages use the same alphabet but employ the letters in different ways. • How well was the Yiddish Language retained in the children? Keeping Yiddish alive and retaining it in the children is not something that has been an easy process for the Jews in America. The Yiddish education did not develop straightaway, unlike the Yiddish theater, political activism, and press. • What importance is the ability to retain the language of the Jews? It declares one’s identity. It is a way of looking at things that can be different from other cultures and also unique. It is a continuation of Jewish identity and a link to the past.

18. Hebrew and Yiddish • Hebrew is considered to be the language of the Torah and the Old Testament. It is a Middle Eastern language which is 5,000+ years old. It is spoken by the Semitic Jews and it’s the national language of Israel. The religious scriptures are written in Hebrew. Most European Jews did not use Hebrew as their everyday speech. • Yiddish is over 1,000 years old and is spoken by Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. According to a proverb, it is di shprakh vos redt zikh– the language that “ speaks (by) itself.” and there is no need for instruction. Yiddish is considered to be the spoken language, compared to the written. • The two languages use the same alphabet but employ the letters in different ways. • Kheyder is the school where the studies begin, in teaching the pupils to read the Hebrew of the Bible and prayer book, the language used was and still is Yiddish.

19. Yiddish Retention among children • Keeping Yiddish alive and retaining it in the children is not something that has been an easy process for the Jews in America. The Yiddish education did not develop straightaway, unlike the Yiddish theater, political activism, and press. • For the immigrant children and also the Jewish children already in the U.S., there was a struggle to retain their mother tongue (mame-loshn), which was usually Yiddish. This struggle is because the public education that they received was taught exclusively in English. • Some advantages that the children had in retaining Yiddish was in Talmud Torahs and other afternoon or weekend schools set up for Jewish education. Yet, it declined in the post-World War II era, so American Hasidic education has contributed to Yiddish education by the use of Hasidic day schools. This established a new American Yiddish-Speaking population.

20. Importance of Retention • “ Language as understood by sociolinguists is not simply a formal tool used to communicate ideas or practices; it is a part of the very content of the cultural beliefs and practices which are to be communicated.” (Gardner 1985) • It declares one’s identity • It is a way of looking at things that can be different from other cultures and also unique • It is a continuation of Jewish identity and a link to the past

21. Literature Questions • What does Jewish American Children’s Literature often portray? • What does “Yom Ha Azma’ut” mean? • What is the name of a Hanukah game?

22. Literature • What does Jewish American children’s Literature often portray? Jewish Holidays!

23. A Picture Book Of Jewish Holidays Yom Ha-Azma’ut = Israel’s Independence Day !

24. The Family Treasury Of Jewish Holidays • Includes: stories, poems, songs, recipes, games, and crafts • Hanukkah game: Dreidel!

25. Purim Play • Children wear costumes to synagogue to hear the story of Purim read. • Many children enjoy putting on their own Purim plays.

26. A Torah Is Written • Sefer Torah = a handwritten scroll that contains the laws and history of the Jewish people

27. Education Study Questions • What were Jewish day schools called in Europe? (Cheder) • How many Jewish American students attended Jewish day schools in the United States in the early 1940’s? (Fewer than 20,000)

28. Education 1940-1960 • Most Jewish American children in the United States went to public school then met after public school or on Sundays to learn the basic elements of Judaism

29. Education (con.) • There were a select few, approximately 20,000, Jewish American students in the early 1940’s who attended full time “Jewish” day schools. • These schools combined subjects such as math and English with a full curriculum of Jewish studies.

30. Reading Writing Torah Mishnah Hebrew Grammer Poetry Talmud Philosophy of Religion Logic Arithmetic Geometry Optics Astronomy Music Mechanics Medicine Metaphysics Education--Important Subjects

31. Education (con.) • Jewish day schools developed in Europe • They were called Cheder • Developed in the United States During WWII • Day school agenda • School day begins and ends with public prayer • Food served is Kosher • Observance of holidays and Sabbath is strongly reinforced • Daily conversation was made up of Hebrew vocabulary and Jewish idioms.

32. Education (con.) • American Jews felt that they had succeeded in incorporating there Jewish culture into American culture despite the failing of other minority groups because of the rapid increasing number of day schools and the increasing emphasis on tradition • There were also warning signs that this was not the case... • Decline and ultimate deterioration of secular schools, labor Zionist and Yiddishist, and after school Yeshivot • neglected Jewish education for programs unrelated to culture or education • Hebrew language or biblical narratives in the congregational school was non-existent • hours of instruction and years of enrollment were dropping

33. Religion Study Questions • What Jewish rite of passage was adapted uniquely and practiced solely by Jews in America? • What 1948 event caused a spiritual revival among American Jews and inspired such Americans to share the burdens of Jews around the world?

34. 1930s: American Jews Unite • During the Great Depression, American Anti-Semitism intensified • American Jews faced growing danger and discrimination • Jewish immigrants united as a group of American Jews in self-defense

35. Division Persists • As controversy increased surrounding communism and Zionism, American Jews became more divided and institutionalized into three branches: 1. Orthodox 2. Conservative 3. Reform

36. Americanizing Jews • American Jews moved toward a child-centered community and began to New Trends in celebrate and focus on children more • New “synagogue-centers” were created to include pools, athletic courts, Hebrew schools, and host community gatherings • Reform Jews moved away from bar mitzvah and began using confirmation to mark the graduation of students at around age 15

37. American Jews Institute--Bat Mitzvah • Jewish law includes Bar Mitzvah- a rite of passage to mark a 12 year old boy’s transition into manhood • In 1922, An American rabbi conducted the first Bar Mitzvah for his 12 year old daughter, much to the shock of the Jewish community • By 1960, Bat Mitzvah had become an American institution among Conservative Jews

38. Zionism: Israel Becomes A State • The Zionist movement sought the creation of a formal national homeland for Jews • Many Jewish Americans (the world’s largest concentration of Jews lived in New York) felt a sense of responsibility for less fortunate Jews around the world • The Zionist movement financially and politically united many Jews • On May 14, 1948, their goal was realized when Jews were finally given the land of Israel as a geographic homeland and sovereign nation

39. Jewish Food Questions • What does “kosher” mean? • What part of the loaf of bread is the “challah”?

40. Kosher • Refers to the proper methods of food preparation and the dietary laws governing its consumption. • Pork and shellfish are not kosher. • Cow’s milk is kosher, as well as beef, as long as the cow is slaughtered properly.

41. Jewish Foods • Challah – a very sweet, golden, eggy bread. • Chollent – a stew that comes in many flavors and styles. • Kugel – translated as “pudding”, it can be either a side dish or a dessert.

42. Bibliography Crystal Greenwood Cowan, Neil M., and Ruth Schwartz Cowan. Our Parents’ Lives: The Americanization of Eastern European Jews. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1989. Diner, Hasia R. Jews in America. Religion in American Life Series. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Finkelstein, Norman H. Forged in Freedom: Shaping the Jewish-American Experience. Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 2002. Gottschalk, Haim A. University of Judais. 21 February 2005. Haim@uj.edu. Kelman, Ari. National Museum of American Jewish History. 12 February 2005. http://www.nmajh.org/index.htm. Koven, Julie. American Jewish Historical Society. 12 February 2005. http://www.ajhs.org/reference/links.cfm#3. Weinberg Julius, The “Greening” of Jewish Education. Judaism. vol. 34, issue 2, spring 85. Wertheimer, Jack. Who’s Afraid of Jewish Day Schools? Academic Search Premier. vol 108, Issue 5, Dec99. Wollons, Roberta (Ed.) Kindergartens and Cultures: The Global Diffusion of an Idea. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2000.

43. Bibliography Adina Laviolette Alder, David. A Picture Book of Jewish Holidays. New York: Holiday House, 1981. Cowan, Paul. A Torah is Written. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1986 Drucker, Malka. The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1994. Jaffe, Nina. The Uninvited Guest and Other Jewish Holiday Tales. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1993. Schotter, Roni. Purim Play. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1998.

44. Bibliography Melinda Moore Chaikin, Miriam. A Nightmare In History, New York, NY: Clarion Books1987. Fleischman, Paul. Whirligig, N. Y., Henry holt & Co. 1998. Goldberg, Carol. On line Interview. Oopsi1@msn.com, Saturday, February 5, 2005 8:21 PM Genealogy Institute. On line Interview. gi@CJH.org, Thursday, February 17, 2005 2:37 PM Gottfried, Ted. Children of the Slaughter, Brookfield, Connecticut: 21st Century Books 2001. Holocaust History,http://www.holocaust-history.org/questions/forgive-and-forget.shtml Remember the Children, http://remember.org/children/children.html http://www.chaim2g.org/ Voloj, Julian. On line Interview. JVoloj@mjhnyc.org, Tuesday, February 15, 2005 1:53 PM

45. Bibliography Monica Moore Butwin, Frances. The Jews in America, Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Co., 1969 Diner, Hasia R. Jews in America New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Horn, Miriam, “ Baseball, canoes and Stars of David. (Jewish Camps).” U.S. News & World Report, June13,1994v116 n23p23(1).<http://web3.infotrac.galegroup.com/.> Raphael, Lev. “Writing a Jewish Life.” Tikkun; Nov2002, Vol. 17 Issue 6, p49, 7p, 3bw, Academic Search Premier EBSCO. John M. Pfau Lib., San Bernardino, CA 4 Feb. 2005< http://www.ebsco.com/.> Shandler, Jeffrey. “ Beyond the Mother Tongue: Learning the Meaning of Yiddish in America.” Jewish Social Studies 6.3 (2000) 97-123. Academic Search Premier. Muse. John M. Pfau Lib.,San Bernardino, CA 28 Jan. 2005. <http://muse.jhu.edu.libproxy.lib.csusb.edu/> Zisenwine, David. “ Teaching Hebrew: A Suggestion For Hebrew Educators.” Religious Education; Winter97, Vol. 92 Issue 1, p55,6p, Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. John M. Pfau Lib., San Bernardino, CA 4 Feb.2005 http://www.ebsco.com/

46. Bibliography Sarah Perkins “Creating American Jews; An Exploration of the Evolution of Jewish Identity in America” National Museum of American Jewish History “The American Jewish Experience in the Twentieth Century: Antisemitism and Assimilation” Jonathan D. Sarna and Jonathan Golden Brandeis University National Humanities Center “From Generation to Generation” Bernard Mendoza's photo-documentary of Orthodox Jewish communities across the United States National Museum of American Jewish History American Jewish Archives Personal interview with Angelita Freedman, the daughter of a Russian Jewish immigrant

47. Bibliography Ashley Schwenk Dollinger, Marc. “The Other War: American Jews, Lyndon Johnson, and The Great Society”. American Jewish History. Volume 89, Number 4, December 2001. 437-461. Project MUSE, John Hopkins University. 10 Feb 2005. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v089/89.4dollinger.html Heinze, Andrew R. ”Mass Consumption, Schmass Consumption: On Jewish Things and American Popular Culture”. Reviews in American History. Volume 24, Number 1, March 1996. 73-83. Project MUSE, John Hopkins University. 10 Feb 2005 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/reviews_in_american_history/v024/24.1heinze.html Hurwitz, David Lyon. “How Lucky We Were”. American Jewish History. Volume 87, Number 1, March 1999. 29-59. Project MUSE, John Hopkins University. 10 Feb 2005 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v087/87.1hurwitz.html Lipstadt, Deborah E. “America and the Memory of the Holocaust, 1950-1965”. Modern Judaism. Volume 16, Number 3, October 1996. 195-214. Project MUSE, John Hopkins University. 10 Feb 2005 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/modern_judaism/v016/16.3lipstadt.html Norwood, Stephen H. “Marauding Youth and the Christian Front: Anti-Semitic Violence in Boston and New York During World War II”. American Jewish History. Volume 91, Number 2, June 2003. 233-267. Project MUSE, John Hopkins University. 10 Feb 2005 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v091/91.2norwood.html Scales-Trent, Judy. “ Racial Purity Laws in the United States and Nazi Germany: The Targeting Process”. Human Rights Quarterly. Volume 23, Number 2, May 2001. 260-307. Project MUSE, John Hopkins University. 10 Feb 2005 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/human_rights_quarterly/v023/23.2scales_trent.html Sheramy, Rona. “ ’Resistance and War’: The Holocaust in American Jewish Education, 1945-1960”. American Jewish History. Volume 91, Number 2, June 2003. 287-313. Project MUSE, John Hopkins University. 10 Feb 2005 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_jewish_history/v091/91.2sheramy.html

48. Bibliography Bruce Southworth Chazan, Davida “Challah Bread” http://www.bread.net/challahfaq.html “Classic Jewish-Food recipe Archive.” http://www.jewish-food.org (1 Feb 1996) “Judaism Jewish/Kosher Food” http://www.judaism.about.com/cs/foodandrecipes/ Rich, Tracey R. “Judaism 101: Jewish Cooking.” http://www.jewfaq.org/food.htm (1997-1999) “Shabbat at Aish.com.” http://www.aish.com/shabbatrecipes/ (1995-2005)