The American Jewish Archives Journal, Volume LXI 2009, Number 1

interviewees are forty-somethings who remained in their hometowns. The film
portrays honestly the plusses and minuses of small-town community life. It does
not ignore the cultural conflicts within communities as early twentieth-century
east European immigrants, largely Orthodox, joined veteran central Europeans
with Reform affiliation. Nor does it idealize small-town life by ignoring antisemitism
or the logistical difficulties of providing Jewish education and seeking
potential marriage partners. Most interviewees, not surprisingly, were people
who loved their small-town life, but there was one who found it limiting, even
stifling. They discuss the pressures of—and the resultant increase in Jewish
consciousness created by—the necessity to be “ambassadors to Christians.” A
regional Jewish historian provides important historical context and explanations
of concepts such as chain migration throughout the film.
“Chosen Towns” does not keep the small Jewish community experience in
a box; it uses it to reflect on issues of American Jewish identity generally that
are made more acute in a small setting. Through thoughtful interviews, the film
gives personal insights on questions of generational change and religious faith.
It is a useful viewing experience, then, not only for those with either a local or
an academic interest in small Jewish communities, but for anyone interested
in the breadth of the American Jewish experience.
Amy Hill Shevitz teaches at California State University, Northridge. Her book, Jewish
Communities on the Ohio River, was published in 2007.
Marc Lee Raphael, ed., The Columbia History of Jews and Judaism in
America (New York: Columbia University Press, 2008), 490 pp.
This collection of articles is a welcome addition to the growing literature on
American Jews and Judaism. Edited by the former long-time editor of American
Jewish History, the book includes eighteen articles broken into two sections. This
review will focus on the structure of the collection rather than the individual
essays. Suffice it to say that many of the articles are fascinating, covering a wide
spectrum of material: from the definition of American Jewish culture, to rites
of citizenship exploring how American Jews celebrated national holidays, to
“fun and games”—a study of the American Jewish social club.
Editor Marc Lee Raphael points out that there had been relatively little written
on many specific topics in American Jewish history. Much of what had been
published focused on either important communal leaders such as Jacob Schiff, or
major Jewish organizations such as the American Jewish Committee, or aspects
of urban Jewish history in the major cities such as New York or Chicago. He
writes that this lacuna “has been remedied, to some extent” by work published
over the past twenty years. Despite the progress made, Raphael writes, there is
still much to do. This work is an attempt to help address this need.
174 • American Jewish Archives Journal