Children of the American Jewish Ghetto

Between 1881 and 1914, more than two million Jews came to America. Most were poor, from the stultifying shtetls of the Pale of Settlements of the Russian Empire, steeped in Jewish tradition and religion, and Yiddish-speaking. In New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago they formed overcrowded Jewish ghettoes, living in cramped walk-up apartments and finding low-pay work in the clothing sweatshops or tobacco and cigarette factories.
The children of the American Jewish ghetto had higher aspirations. From neighborhood elementary schools, the most academically gifted kids gained admission to elite high schools and acceptance into the nation’s leading universities. Combining original thought with hard work, many reached the top levels in their chosen fields: in the sciences, the arts, academia, entertainment, Hollywood and in business. Despite anti-Semitism, more than 40 of them went on to become Nobel laureates, and many others were Pulitzer, Academy, Emmy and Tony award winners. This book shares the stories of many American-educated children of Jewish immigrants who emerged from American Jewish ghettoes.

Psychiatrist Chaim M. Rosenberg is also an American history researcher and writer. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

“A thorough and uplifting look at the learning, courage, and skill that took twentieth-century Jews from European shtetls and American ghettoes to the tops of their fields—from selling newspapers on the corner and working in sweat shops to winning the Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award, World Series, Olympic gold medals, and more! A brilliant compendium of relentless spirit and remarkable Jewish achievement.”—Michael Benson, author of Gangsters vs. Nazis

Chaim M. Rosenberg
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 228
Bibliographic Info: 65 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9547-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5402-7
Imprint: McFarland

 1. Introduction 1
 2. Immigration, 1881–1914 5
 3. Jewish Ghettoes 12
 4. Jewish Newsies 22
 5. Messenger Boys, Scrap Metal, Factory Workers and Trades 36
 6. Sweatshops 46
 7. Public Response to ­Russian-Jewish Immigrants 58
 8. Response of the Jewish Community to Immigrants 69
 9. From Public School to Ivy League College 86
10. Sports 101
11. Composers and Authors 117
12. Broadway and Hollywood 132
13. The Sciences 155
14. Manufacturing and Business 165
15. World War I 180
16. The Remarkable Achievements of the Second Generation 191
Chapter Notes 201
Bibliography 213
Index 217