American Tewish Archives - American Jewish Archives

Most of what we have learned so far about the image of America
as a whole has been gleaned from the many reports about the Jews
of America; the correspondents of Hamelitz and Hatzfirah were
more interested in the Jews of the New World than they were in
America qua America. They were extremely curious about the
Jews of America, the way they made their living, their social
groupings and conflicts, and their religious practices and leadership.
The 1880's in Eastern Europe saw the growth of interest in agri-
cultural settlement as a possible solution to the "Jewish problem."
The doings of the Bilu pioneers who founded colonies in Palestine
were followed closely by the Hebrew press, and great attention was
paid also to the dozens of agricultural communities founded by
Russian and Polish immigrants in America. The progress and
problems of colonies in North Dak0ta,3~ New Jersey,37 Louisiana,38
Kansas,39 Arkansas,40 and Colorado4' were reported on ofien and
in great detail. There is much unevenness in the tone of the articles
and the image they present. Many describe the progress being made
in glowing terms:
All that is needed for the days of the winter we have made ready for our-
selves abundantly and not in restricted measure, and all from our own
funds and from the fruit of our toil and lab0r.4~
It was reported of the colonists in North Dakota that they "also
are doing well and their situation continually improves."43 The
latest reports on colonization in general are summed up as "very
l6 Homclit2, XIX, 99-100.
37 Ibid., pp. 1442-45.
38 Ibid., pp. I 324-25,
39 Ibid., p. 164.
40 Ibid., p. 995.
Ibid., pp. 18-24.
Ibid., pp. 163-64.
43 Ibid., p. 701.