HIST/JS 242: American Jewish History

Final Exam for HIST/JS 329: American Jewish History Prof. E. Goldstein, Fall 2017

Terms Section – Choose FIVE of SIX Groups (8 points each – total of 40 points)

Define FIVE of the following SIX term groups, explaining not only the basic meaning of each term or concept but also the relationship or the difference between the terms in each group. For each group, be sure to provide the larger historical context (ie. why these terms or concepts are important in the larger story of American Jewish history). landsmanshaftn shuls / “shul with a pool”/ havurah urban Jewish experience / small-town Jewish experience (in the interwar period)

Melting Pot / cultural pluralism / Triple Melting Pot

Pittsburgh Platform (1885) / Columbus Platform (1937) / Statement of Principles of Reform Judaism (1999)

American Council for Judaism / United Jewish Appeal / American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)

Jews by choice/ba’alei tshuvah/patrilineal descent

Essay Section – Do Both Essays (30 points each – total of 60 points)

Essay I As we have discussed, World War II was a dramatic turning point in American Jewish history. Explain how and why Jewish life was so different in the period before the war and the period after the war (from 1945 on). How did these shifts ultimately change the central issues of concern to American Jews? In discussing these changes and their impact, be sure to take into account all the various dimensions of Jewish life we have discussed: social, economic, cultural, religious, political and geographical.

Essay II “From the time of the earliest settlers during the colonial period until today, Jews in America have benefited from one of the most open and tolerant of societies. In fact, American Jews have never felt any tension between their religious and cultural identity and their desire to be accepted in American society.” – Anonymous historian Based on the materials we have studied throughout the entire semester, write an essay arguing either for or against the proposition of this anonymous historian, or offer an alternative argument that frames the issue in a different way.

YOUR EXAM MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected] NO LATER THAN THE END OF THE DAY (MIDNIGHT) ON THURSDAY, DEC. 14. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.