Instructional module: “Coming to America, 1880-1924.”

Images and Information

1. Independence Mall from the National Museum of American Jewish History. Courtesy of the U.S. Park Service.

Additional information on the Independence Mall is available here: http://www.nps.gov/inde/index.htm

2. “Liberty Enlightening the World” Root & Tinker, New York, ca. 1884. Library of Congress

The colossal statue by Bartholdi [Frédéric Bartholdi (1834-1904)]. Presented by the French People to America. As it will appear on its pedestal on Bedloes Island in New York Harbor.

This particular image shows the Statue of Liberty standing on its pedestal designed by Richard Morris Hunt. Behind the statue, ships and sailboats in the harbor and a cityscape of New York City can be seen.

Live view from the camera placed on the Statue of Liberty torch is available here http://www.ellisisland.org/TorchCam/ 3. Rosh Hashanah Card, Segment, 1909, Hebrew Publishing Co. National Museum of American Jewish History. 1982.20.1 Gift of Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. (embossed chromolithograph)

The practice of sending New Year’s cards became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The segment of the pop-up Rosh Hashanah card shows “Matron America" (traditionally known as Columbia) opening gates to immigrants. Columbia is at left, dressed in red/white striped long skirt and blue/white starred blouse. She wears a hat with Unites States flag motif. The hat is decorated with a ribbon inscribed with a word “America” in Hebrew/Yiddish. Above Columbia flies brown eagle with a shield of the U.S. flag, arrows and olive branch in talons. She is opening gates to let in immigrants (man, woman, and two young boys) who have arrived on shore. Steam ships and sailboats are visible in the background. At the bottom Hebrew text reads: "the gates opened for the new righteous to enter” and “the gates of righteousness have opened for me.”

Additional example of a pop-up card is available here: http://www.jhsgw.org/collections/objectofthemonth/2010-sept.php 4. Immigration Map

Between 1880 and 1924, more than 20 million immigrants from around the globe came to the United States in a great migration that included over 2 million Jews.

American authorities did not begin counting Jewish immigrants until 1899, when officials started to collect data on race and nationality in addition to country of origin. It is estimated that Jews made up about 10 percent of the European immigrants who came between 1880 and 1924. This period of mass migration ended when the Johnson-Reed Act in 1924 placed strict quotas on immigrants by country of origin.

5. Final Discharge, Ellis island, New York, 1902 Library of Congress

Between 1855 and 1890, immigrants landed at lower Manhattan’s Castle Garden, operated by New York State. After the U.S. government assumed responsibility for overseeing immigration, it opened Ellis Island in 1892. At its height, Ellis Island’s staff of 700 could process 5,000 arrivals per day through a barrage of procedures.

An interactive tour of the Ellis Island is available here: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/index.htm 6. Inspection Card of Anna Sherman National Museum of American Jewish History 1996.66.2

This was an Inspection Card used by the U.S. Immigration Service for immigrants which indicated that they were vaccinated, disinfested and passed daily health inspections during the voyage across the Atlantic. On the back side the following instruction was written in seven languages (English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, and Czech): "Keep this Card to avoid detention at Quarantine and on Railroads in the United States."

7. Fold-out Yiddish/English map of United States pasted inside back cover of the Guide to the United States for the Jewish Immigrant. John Foster Carr, New York: The Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution, 1913. National Museum of American Jewish History 1991.6.1.2

Arriving with a mix of hope, fear, and uncertainty, Jewish immigrants encountered daunting challenges as soon as they set foot on shore. Most spoke little or no English, dressed in foreign garb, and did not understand American habits. Something as simple as a banana, a food unknown in Eastern Europe, could evoke mystery. In spite of these unfamiliar surroundings, Jewish immigrants found apartments and looked for work, tackling new obstacles almost daily.

The book, "Guide to the United States for the Jewish Immigrant," by John Foster Carr, appeared in Yiddish, printed by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Connecticut in 1912. Advising Jewish immigrants to be proud of their cultural heritage, the D.A.R. guide also offered tips for gaining social acceptance in America. "A Jew, like any other foreigner, is appreciated when he lives the American social life...Try to

adapt yourself to the manners...and habits of the American people." The guidebook includes chapters about employment, public education, and the importance of good health and thrift. Translated from the Italian version; was referred to as "The Little Green Book," was given free to immigrants at Ellis Island and other ports of entry, but sold at cost to educators and teachers desiring it for text-book use.

The scanned "Guide to the United States for the Jewish Immigrant," is available here: http://archive.org/details/guidetounitedst00revogoog

8. Kishinev Massacre by Herman S. Shapiro, 1904. National Museum of American Jewish History 1989.20.121. Myrna & Ira Brind Purchase Fund.

Herman S. Shapiro Kishineff Massacre music folio was published in New York in 1904. The illustration in the center by H. S. Potter depicts the pogrom scene. The music is composed and arranged by Herman S. Shapiro. In response to the 1903 attacks, or pogroms, on Jews in Russia. The 1903 pogrom in Kishinev, a town in the former Russian Empire (now called Chisinau, located in the country of Moldova) took place on April 6 and 7, 1903. The pogrom was triggered by the murder of a Christian Russian boy in the nearby town of Dubossary. Anti-Semitic newspapers accused Jews of the crime, writing that they had done it for a ritual purpose. During the pogrom, 49 people were killed, over 500 injured and some 1,500 Jewish houses and shops were plundered and ruined. The Kishinev Massacre of 1903 aroused universal condemnation and protest. For the first time, Jews in the United States took the lead in organizing nationwide protests. In addition to hundreds of demonstrations and meetings held throughout the nation, a massive petition drive protesting the slaughter was organized. The Russian authorities refused to accept the petition. The second pogrom took place on October 19 and 20, 1905. This time the violence against the Jews in Kishinev occurred during political protests against Tsar Nicholas II. These two pogroms compelled many Jews to emigrate from Russia.

More information on Kishineff Massacre is available here: http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kishinev/kishinev-pogrom.html http://forward.com/articles/8544/kishinev--the-birth-of-a-century/

9. Living room of a tenement, Chicago, 1910. Lewis Hine, New York Public Library.

With little money and few resources, most immigrants called “home” a rented bed, a room, or a tenement apartment in a crowded urban neighborhood. The urban landscape of bustling city neighborhoods shaped immigrants’ lives. They took refuge on rooftops and fire

escapes in the steamy summer months, and they shivered together in the winter cold. With several apartments often sharing a single hallway bathroom, privacy became a rare luxury. Despite the poverty of America’s urban neighborhoods, immigrant children found time for fun. When not playing stickball, handball, basketball, or other street games, young Jews gathered at local candy stores, which often served as informal social centers. Older siblings frequented dance halls or clubs. Parents also snatched time away from the drudgeries of work and housekeeping for rest and relaxation. Immigrant families socialized with one another, entertaining over tea, walking in neighborhood parks, or enjoying beaches and boardwalk amusements.

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York City virtual tour is available here: http://www.tenement.org/Virtual_Tour/index_virtual.html 10. Hester Street, New York. Museum of the City of New York 93.1.1.18132

Jewish immigrants crowded together in neighborhoods that offered familiar tastes, sounds, and smells. Immigrants quickly discovered that America’s streets were not paved with gold. Instead, newcomers struggled with poverty, poor housing, formidable language barriers, and harsh labor conditions. Making a living demanded long, hard hours of work. Like many other immigrant groups, Jews felt most comfortable meeting these challenges side by side with those who spoke their language and shared backgrounds similar to their own. 11. Attendance card of Eva Baen, at Kearney Evening Elementary School, 1914-1915, Philadelphia. National Museum of American Jewish History 1995.36.17. Gift of Clara K. Braslow

See Eva Baen Instructional Module (link)

In 1889, Henrietta Szold (1860-1945) founded the first American night school for Russian Jewish immigrants in Baltimore. After work, eager students found time to gather and study English, American citizenship, and vocational skills. Settlement houses and political organizations likewise offered courses in a wide range of subjects, from basic English to advanced studies in history, literature, and philosophy. Other schools provided technical training for those seeking to improve their employment opportunities. 12. Poster, Cleveland Americanization Committee and Board of Education. "Many Peoples, One Language," 1917. National Museum of American Jewish History 1990.4.42

The Americanization movement was a nationwide organized effort in the 1910s to bring millions of recent immigrants into the American cultural system. Many states passed laws requiring Americanization programs. English language and American civics were organized in hundreds of cities. The Jewish community heatedly debated how to turn immigrants into Americans, and how to retain the children of immigrants as Jews. Jews who had already established themselves in America often viewed new immigrants as backward, uneducated, and in need of improvement. Immigrants, too, sought to Americanize, but not always in the same ways or at the same rate. While philanthropists and reformers created bountiful institutions to help newcomers shed foreign traits and adopt American habits. The Americanization Committees promoted American values and the teaching of the English language to immigrants who wanted to become American citizens.

The poster urges immigrants to prepare for citizenship by learning English. It is printed in six languages, including Yiddish. 13. Knitting class, Henry Street Settlement, New York, 1910 Lewis Hine. Library of Congress

Some American Jews tried to ease the transition for new immigrants by establishing “settlement houses” that offered the immigrants community, education, and culture. Inspired by Jane Addams’ Hull House in Chicago, Lillian Wald (1867–1940) established New York’s Henry Street Settlement in 1893 to provide free medical services to Russian Jewish women. Within a few years, Henry Street had added classes in English, civics, hygiene, cooking, dance, and sewing. A few blocks away, the Educational Alliance served as a neighborhood cultural center, providing immigrants with night school, day care, a gymnasium, and numerous plays and concerts. Established in 1893 by leaders of New York’s Jewish community, The Educational Alliance presented free lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and classes to educate and acculturate recent immigrants to American life. In doing so, the founders aimed to help immigrants build the practical skills needed to gain employment and negotiate the challenges of becoming American citizens. Organizations like the Education Alliance and the Henry Street Settlement provided elocution lessons, lectures, physical education, cooking classes, and courses in the fine and performing arts in an effort to helping immigrants learn how to talk, act, and dress.

Additional information on Henry Street Settlement is available here: http://www.henrystreet.org/about/history/ 14. Moe Levy & Co. Factory, New York, ca. 1911. Museum of the City of New York

By the late 1800s, the garment industry employed substantial numbers of Jewish immigrants across the country, including half of all Jewish workers in New York City. Garment factories and sweatshops bustled with activity in immigrant Jewish neighborhoods. Workers, including significant numbers of women, stitched furiously until their fingers bled to satisfy America’s rapidly growing ready-to-wear clothing market. Despite its long hours, poor wages, and miserable working conditions, garment work nevertheless provided jobs, camaraderie, and access to American fashions.

Additional information on the Moe Levy & Co. Factory is available here: http://www.waltergrutchfield.net/moelevy.htm 15. Lecture, Baron de Hirsch Agricultural School, Woodbine, New Jersey, ca. 1907. The Immigrant Jew, National Liberal Immigration League, 1907

In 1891, a fund established by Jewish industrialist Baron Maurice de

Hirsch (1831-1896) purchased 5,300 acres of land in Cape May County, New Jersey, as a refuge for Russian Jews. The first 60 families arrived in 1892 and began clearing the wooded site for farming. Because few of the immigrants had agricultural experience, the fund established the Woodbine Agricultural College in 1894. Woodbine incorporated in 1903, becoming one of few self-governing Jewish communities in all of Jewish history. The settlement never succeeded as an agricultural enterprise, but it served as home for several generations of Jewish families. It still exists today, although not as a Jewish colony. Baron Maurice de Hirsch (1831-1896) lived in Munich, Brussels, and Paris. He was a banker and philanthropist, especially to Jewish causes. His total benefactions exceeded $100,000,000.

JOHN WANAMAKER, A Friendly Guide-Book to Philadelphia,1914

Available at the Open Library of Philadelphia http://www.archive.org/stream/philadelphiaguid01john#page/n0/mode/1up

Text version is available here: http://www27.us.archive.org/stream/philadelphiaguid01john/philadelphiaguid01john_djvu.txt