JEWISH AMERICANS

By Rebecca Frazier
Background/origin & Important Dates:

Jews were one of the earliest settlers.

o 1600s: arrived at the Atlantic coast colonies
o 1700s: most Jewish immigrants were coming from Spain and Portugal.
Sephardic Jews were wealthy and powerful
1492: Ferdinand and Isabella decreed that Jews must convert to Christianity.
o Fled to American colonies for more religious freedom
Population of German Jews developed after Sephardic Jews arrived
1880s: German Jews were well established
Largest group of Jewish immigrants came from Eastern Europe (Russia).
o Organized massacres called pogroms.
o 2 million Jews left Russia and came to the U.S. between 1880 and World
War I.
Background & Dates: Continued
Jews concentrated in New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Religion has created diversity and identity
o Three major religious movements: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform.
Reconstructionist and Humanistic Judaism originated in the U.S. in the 1960s
One of the worlds oldest religions: Judaism
6 million Jews were killed in concentration camps in World War II. The
Holocaust killed three-fifths of the Jewish population in Europe
Today, many Jewish Americans are humanitarians, liberal, and care about civil
rights issues
o Many Jews participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s
Cultural Assimilation:

Jews suffered from cultural assimilation in Russia, called Russification

Divide between German Jewish and eastern Jewish immigrants

German Jewish organizations tried to Americanize eastern Jews

Today, Jews blend into the American mainstream

Some Jews can feel uncomfortable when they
Participate in Jewish practices
Explain their dietary restrictions to non-Jewish friends and co-
workers
Can feel like the odd man out
Dress or act in ways that are Jewish and not familiar to the
non-Jews
Stereotyping:

Jews are very wealthy

Jewish Americans, as a group, have the highest family income out
of all major ethnic groups, but
Out of 6 million, more than half a million Jews are below the
nations poverty level
They hold many positions of power in the workplace
Few Jewish Americans hold top executive positions or positions of
political power
Jews control the nations business, banking, and finance
Most Jews are under the middle-income category. This includes
middle-management jobs and small business
 Two Jewish Americans Who Have Made a
Contribution to Nevada:
Oscar Goodman (1939-present)
o His grandparents came to America from Poland and Russia
o Former mob lawyer, former Las Vegas mayor (for 12 years), and current Las Vegas spokesman
o Was a part of revitalizing downtown Las Vegas when he was mayor:
Acquired the land now known as Symphony Park
Led to the development of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, the World Market Center, the Frank Gehry-
designed Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, and the Smith Center for the Performing
Arts
Flora Dungan (1917-1973)
o Born to Russian Jewish immigrants in 1917
o Served in the county Democratic Party and in organizations like the American Association of University
Women.
o Elected to the State Assembly in 1962
Sued Governor Grant Sawyer over the poor representation given to Reno and the rural north in the state
senate and assembly.
o Battled and won against the Nevada System of Higher Education's Board of Regents.
o Because of Dungan, a lot of state money was put into Clark County, which included funding for Nevada
Southern University (now UNLV)
Works Cited
Alper, Becka A., and Daniel V. A. Olson. "Religious Population Share and Religious Identity
Salience: Is Jewish Identity More Important to Jews in Less Jewish Areas?" Sociology of
Religion 74.1 (2013): 82-I. ProQuest. Web. 18 June 2016.
Bennett, Christine I. Comprehensive Multicultural Education: Theory and Practice 8th Ed. New
Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 1999. Print
"Building UNLV: "a Tower of our Own" Pt. 1." University WireOct 14 2013. ProQuest. Web. 18
June 2016.
Feldberg, Sarah. "Viva Las Goodman." Forward: 13. Jan 23 2015. ProQuest. Web. 18 June 2016.
Wolfe, Alan. "The Great Jewish-American Synthesis." The Chronicle of Higher Education 51.39
(2005): B9-B11. ProQuest. Web. 18 June 2016.