My Future Is in America: Autobiographies of Eastern European Jewish Immigrants

by Jocelyn Cohen, Daniel Soyer

Overview

“Masterful . . . gripping immigrant narratives. A must read for anyone interested in immigration, American history, or the Jewish experience in America.” -- Beth S. Wenger, Katz Family Chair in American Jewish History, University of Pennsylvania
 
In 1942, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research held a contest for the best autobiography by a Jewish immigrant on the theme “Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America.” Chosen from over two hundred entries, and translated from Yiddish, the nine life stories in My Future Is in America provide a compelling portrait of American Jewish life at the turn of the twentieth century.

The writers arrived in America in every decade from the 1890s to the 1920s. They include manual workers, shopkeepers, housewives, communal activists, and professionals from all parts of Eastern Europe. In their own words, the immigrant writers convey the complexities of the transition between the Old and New Worlds.

An introduction places the writings in historical and literary context, and annotations explain historical and cultural allusions made by the writers. This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while also elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.
 
Published in conjunction with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research


“A treasure trove. . . .The masterful translations rendered by Cohen and Soyer capture the lyric, sophisticated and often times profound dimensions of the writers' contributions....belongs in every library collection, where it will update and complement classics like A Bintel Brief and World of Our Fathers—Mark A. Raider,author of American Jewish Womenand the Zionist Enterprise and The Plough Woman: Records of the Pioneer Women of Palestine

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814717042
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	342
Sales rank:	830,969
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Jocelyn Cohen (Editor)
Jocelyn Cohen is a research associate of YIVO’s Max Weinreich Center for Advanced Jewish Studies in New York.

Daniel Soyer (Editor)
Daniel Soyer is professor of history at Fordham University. He is the author of Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939, and editor of several other books.


Jocelyn Cohen (Editor)
Jocelyn Cohen is a research associate of YIVO’s Max Weinreich Center for Advanced Jewish Studies in New York.

Daniel Soyer (Editor)
Daniel Soyer is professor of history at Fordham University. He is the author of Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939, and editor of several other books.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

A Note on Annotations and Transliteration xi

Introduction: Yiddish Social Science and Jewish Immigrant Autobiography 

Jocelyn Cohen and Daniel Soyer

1. 1  Success or Failure?  

   Minnie Goldstein

2. 2  Why I Came to America  

   Ben Reisman

3. 3  I Have Nothing to Complain About 

   Shmuel Krone

4. 4  Why I Left My Old Home and What I Have Accomplished in America 

   Aaron Domnitz

5. 5  What Drove Me to America and My Experiences in Europe and America 

   Rose Schoenfeld

6. 6  My Future Is in America  

   Rose Silverman

7. 7  The Movies Pale in Comparison  

   Bertha Fox

8. 8  Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America 

   Chaim Kusnetz

           9 I Haven’t Lost Anything by Coming to America 

            Minnie Kusnetz

Glossary 

Index  About the Editors  

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Cohen and Soyer have done a masterful job of collecting and translating these gripping immigrant narratives. A must read for anyone interested in immigration, American history, or the Jewish experience in America.”
-Beth S. Wenger,Katz Family Chair in American Jewish History, University of Pennsylvania

“This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.”
-Shamash

,

“A treasure trove of Yiddish autobiographical gems available for the first time in English. These heartfelt and moving narratives reveal the rich, complex and multi-textured experience of the East European Jewish immigrant milieu. The masterful translations rendered by Cohen and Soyer capture the lyric, sophisticated and often times profound dimensions of the writers' contributions. To this considerable achievement, Cohen and Soyer add a valuable introductory essay and detailed notes that make the book accessible to students, researchers and thoughtful readers alike. This volume plugs a significant gap in the field of modern Jewish studies and belongs in every library collection, where it will update and complement classics like A Bintel Brief and World of Our Fathers.”
-Mark A. Raider,author of American Jewish Women and the Zionist Enterprise and The Plough Woman: Records of the Pioneer Women of Palestine

Editorial Reviews

"Cohen and Soyer have done a masterful job of collecting and translating these gripping immigrant narratives. A must read for anyone interested in immigration, American history, or the Jewish experience in America."

Beth S. Wenger

"A treasure trove of Yiddish autobiographical gems available for the first time in English. These heartfelt and moving narratives reveal the rich, complex and multi-textured experience of the East European Jewish immigrant milieu. The masterful translations rendered by Cohen and Soyer capture the lyric, sophisticated and often times profound dimensions of the writers' contributions. To this considerable achievement, Cohen and Soyer add a valuable introductory essay and detailed notes that make the book accessible to students, researchers and thoughtful readers alike. This volume plugs a significant gap in the field of modern Jewish studies and belongs in every library collection, where it will update and complement classics like A Bintel Brief and World of Our Fathers"

Mark A. Raider

Cohen and Soyer have done a masterful job of collecting and translating these gripping immigrant narratives. A must read for anyone interested in immigration, American history, or the Jewish experience in America.”
-Beth S. Wenger,Katz Family Chair in American Jewish History, University of Pennsylvania

“A treasure trove of Yiddish autobiographical gems available for the first time in English. These heartfelt and moving narratives reveal the rich, complex and multi-textured experience of the East European Jewish immigrant milieu. The masterful translations rendered by Cohen and Soyer capture the lyric, sophisticated and often times profound dimensions of the writers' contributions. To this considerable achievement, Cohen and Soyer add a valuable introductory essay and detailed notes that make the book accessible to students, researchers and thoughtful readers alike. This volume plugs a significant gap in the field of modern Jewish studies and belongs in every library collection, where it will update and complement classics like A Bintel Brief and World of Our Fathers.”
-Mark A. Raider,author of American Jewish Women and the Zionist Enterprise and The Plough Woman: Records of the Pioneer Women of Palestine

“This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.”
• Shamash

From the Publisher