Two centuries ago, as part of a wave of reforms that swept Europe after the American and French revolutions, the locks were removed on the ghettos in which the Jews had been confined since medieval times, and the inhabitants were permitted to move freely in and out at all hours as they pleased. Whereas previously…
The man who rescued a million Yiddish books
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Some three decades ago, when Aaron Lansky and friends began climbing into Dumpsters to rescue discarded Yiddish books, he had no idea what sort of treasures might turn up or how far the venture would carry him. Today — one million books later — he is the founder and president of the National Yiddish Book…
Zangwill’s ‘Melting Pot’ a Century Later
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One hundred years ago, in September 1908, British writer Israel Zangwill’s influential play The Melting Pot premiered in New York, simultaneously winning widespread popular acclaim and sweeping pans from the critics. When Theodore Roosevelt saw it, he leaned over the edge of his presidential box and exclaimed “That’s all right!” in great apparent satisfaction. But…
The Forgotten Fannie Hurst
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In her day Fannie Hurst was one of America’s highest-paid authors, but ask any bookstore clerk today for one of her 18 novels, such as the bestselling Imitation of Life, and chances are you’ll receive only a blank stare. Between 1914 and 1930, Fannie Hurst’s phenomenal literary career blazed meteorically across the pages of popular…
Yezierska: From the tenement to Hollywood
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Who today has heard of the American writer Anzia Yezierska? Her life was the sort of rags-to-riches-and-back-to-rags tale that she specialized in telling in her short stories and novels like Salome of the Tenements and The Bread-Givers. She and her large impoverished family sailed from Poland in the 1890s and settled into a cramped tenement…
Yiddishkeit on the Yellow River
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One of the most remarkable Jewish genealogical record books is a 340-year-old parchment manuscript of more than 100 pages, belonging to the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnatti. Dating from about 1660, the manuscript records the lineages of the eight Jewish clans then in Kaifeng, China. All of the city’s roughly 1,000 Jews used only seven…
The International Institute of Jewish Genealogy
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A group of eminent Jewish genealogists recently announced the formation of a new facility, the International Institute of Jewish Genealogy, that will be housed in the Jewish National and University Library of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Although still in an early stage of development, the Institute’s board expects it to become a major force…
Gone with the Grodtizinsky’s: name changes
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One of the more durable myths of Jewish genealogy is the notion that names were commonly changed at Ellis Island or — the Canadianized version — at Pier 22 in Halifax. Despite what Great Aunt Minnie once told you, surnames rarely underwent transformation at Ellis Island or Pier 22. Immigration officers at both sites usually…
Don’t wait to interview elderly relatives
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“(A) knowledge of one’s grandfathers is an excellent introduction to history.” — Maurice Samuels It is a truism of family history research that you can visit libraries and archives any time you like, either now or next year, but you should not delay interviewing elderly relatives about your family history, as they may not be…
Library & Archives Canada preserves our history
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As Canadians, much of the documents behind our history is preserved at the National Archives of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada). As Jewish Canadians, we may also turn to this indispensable Ottawa-based institution to gain access to numerous collections of special relevance to our community. WWI Papers: Did any of your ancestors or relatives…
