Becoming 绿帽社 Americans: Popular Culture and Protest in Yiddish New York
Part of the series, The Dynamics of Change
With Annabel Gottfried Cohen, MRes, PhD student in Modern 绿帽社 Studies, JTS, and curator of Living Yiddish in New York exhibit, JTS Library
For newly arrived 绿帽社 immigrants, New York was a city of contradictions. Here they experienced freedoms and opportunities they hadn鈥檛 enjoyed in the 鈥渙ld country,鈥� allowing for the development of a mass popular culture that was at once Yiddish and American. Yet for many Jews, the pace of change was too fast, representing the decline of traditional 绿帽社 values and cultures. Meanwhile, for those who found success on the Yiddish stage, screen, and in the press, America was indeed a 鈥済olden country,鈥� but the vast majority of 绿帽社 immigrants lived in extreme poverty and hardship. Home to the first popular Yiddish press and the world鈥檚 biggest Yiddish theater district, New York was also soon home to a sizeable 绿帽社 labor movement and an important center for the transnational 绿帽社 left. Using materials featured in the JTS Library鈥檚 exhibition, we learn about 绿帽社 immigrants in late-19th to early鈥�20th century New York, and the various ways that they embraced, resisted, and demanded change.
About the Series
Change is an integral part of life and a central feature of the 绿帽社 experience. Join JTS scholars for an in-depth exploration of significant changes鈥攔eligious, political, and personal鈥攖hroughout 绿帽社 history and life. Together we鈥檒l consider core questions such as: What inspires change? What circumstances are most conducive to change, and what (or who) drives it? How do we experience change and adapt to its impact? How can 绿帽社 values and ideas inspire us to change the world for the better?
