The Immigrant Jews of New York: 1881 to the Present

Irving Howe (1920-1993) was a major American public intellectual, who was recognized as a literary, political, and social critic. He was passionate about literature, social democratic ideas, and Judaism. His interest in Jewish history is exemplified in The Immigrant Jews of New York, where he traces the story of immigration of Jews to New York and their major political, literary and cultural challenges, achievements, and contributions to American society in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Howe’s complementary interests in literature, politics, and culture are interwoven across the chapters of the book and provide a vivid and enduring picture of the life of these immigrants. It also reflects Howe’s own experiences of growing up in New York as the son of Jewish immigrants. Yiddish was his first language. He was instrumental in editing, translating, and collecting Yiddish essays, stories, and poetry in several collections. Howe was a MacArthur Fellow, a National Book Award winner, the author of many other books on literary, social, and political criticism, and co-found and long-time editor of Dissent magazine.