Emerging Metropolis New York Jews in the Age of Immigration, 1840-1920

"Finally a history of the Jews of New York. Emerging Metropolis demonstrates, with prodigious research and lucid prose, that New York played a crucial role in shaping the Jews, and that the Jews left an indelible stamp on America's great metropolis, New York. Soyer and Polland tell a complicated story that looks both into the inner live of New York's Jews--in all their complexity--and at the same time surveys the impact of the many other New Yorkers among whom the Jews lived. In doing so the authors show how this city created a Jewish experience that was truly sui generis while it simultaneously shaped modern Jewry around the world." -Hasia R. Diner,Director, Goldstein-Goren Center of American Jewish History, New York University"Chronicling New York Jewish life during the era of mass migration, Emerging Metropolis provides a riveting account of the complex matrix of social organizations, economic activities, political movements, and cultural productions created by immigrant Jews. Polland and Soyer bring the city's spaces to life as they describe the invention of a multifaceted Jewish community that took shape within and helped to shape New York's diverse and polyglot urban culture." -Beth S. Wenger,Director, Jewish Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania