AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY

Open Spring Course: HST317

“Bagels, Bloomingdales and Broad City: How Jews Became a Part of American Economics, Politics and Culture”

Instructor: Dr. Kirsten Fermaglich

Meets M/W 12:40-2:00 pm

118 Berkey Hall

•How did bagels, schmucks, and Seth Rogen become familiar parts of popular American culture?

•How did Jews travel from a small group of religious outsiders in the American colonies in 1654 to become Cabinet members, university presidents, and Fortune 500 CEOs today?

•This class traces history of Jews in the United States, seeking answers to these questions.

•Composed of many different racial, ethnic, religious, and political groups, including Black, Latino and Asian; Ashkenazic and Sephardic; Reform, Orthodox and Conservative, and Reconstructionist; feminist, atheist, and secular, the American Jewish community is not easily typed, and we will devote some of the class to examining battles over what it means to be an American Jew..

•Focusing on successive waves of immigration, we will also explore the changing ways in which Jews have been included as integral members of the American nation, as well as the ways that they have been excluded as outsiders.