Summary, opinion and all that good stuff... Yes more american Jewish history

While I was researching possible topics for my blog, I became interested in the Jazz Culture of the early 1920s-40s. As i read more information regarding american jewish immigrants, i began to wonder their involvement in Jazz Culture. a book called In Their Own Image: New York Jews in Jazz Age popular culture by Ted Merwin which proved helpful and quite diverting. The first chapter that i read was about the vaudeville theatre. The concept of playing upon Jewish stereotypes as a comedic skit was first established in 1900, when a short play was acted out, comparing Jewish people to monkeys. The concept of stereotypes being used as humorous entertainment was utilized, such as playing upon the large noses that Jews commonly possess, or the fact they they often wear large, black hats (especially those of the Orthodox faction). A man known as James Madison was an innovator of this movement, declaring that "'The time is ripe for Hebrew dialect comedians'" (Merwin, 19). Though this mocking of stereotypes provided much hilarity for audiences, it also bred anti-Semitic sentiment throughout the gentile audiences that viewed these types of plays. Vaudeville was not the first to mock Jews; the author states that "Jews remained in the Shylock and Fagin tradition" (Merwin, 19). Shylock is a Jewish character from The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare who clearly reiterates the anti-Semitic sentiment during the time period. Fagin, a perhaps more commonly known fictional protagonist, is yet another individual who upholds his author's anti-Jewish ideas. He was a thief in the novel Oliver Twist, corrupt and evil in nature, and his eventual degradation from life was considered a triumph in the novel. Merwin was relating to the reader that these vaudeville plays (that were seemingly comedic and innocent and nature) were actually a continuation of the latter literary anti-Semitic beliefs.

After reading about Jewish comedy, I continued my previous research regarding the continuation of their faith in America. I was especially intrigued about this topic, because many people in my own community often relate their troubles with retaining their "Jewishness" in a nation which does not specifically promote the religion. In the book In Search of American Jewish Culture by Stephen J. Whitfield, it is expressed that though Christianity is the dominant religion in the United States, the supposed ideals of liberty and freedom prevent it from eclipsing Judaism. However, the author expresses that it is these same ideals that cause America to be too free for the constrictions of religion. Thus, due to the liberating conceptions of Americans, religious practices are difficult. Even so, Jews in America have learned how to adapt to the cultural nuances of  the country, such as performing religious ceremonies in sports stadiums.
I enjoyed reading about the development of Jewish satire, and how it stemmed from the concepts of stereotypical members of the latter religion. I had not known of the Shylock Fagin characters, but had a better understanding of common misunderstandings of Jewish people after researching them. In conclusion, i found this a fairly successful research project. I learned a great deal about my American Jewish heritage and the traditions that they upheld after their immigration to the United States.


I found these pictures that related, the first being of Shylock from Shakespeare's play

and the second of Fagin, from Charles Dickens' well loved work of literature