Jewish New York

Starred review from August 14, 2017
Moore, professor of history and Judaic studies at the University of Michigan, seamlessly synthesizes the work of several colleagues (originally presented in the three-volume City of Promises: A History of the Jews of New York) to provide a definitive look at how Jewish New Yorkers and New York City shaped each other. The lively narrative begins in the 17th century, with the arrival of the first Jews in North America, and runs through 2015. Moore brings readers deeper into the story with occasional asides that offer perspectives on what New York residents at the time would have experienced or observed (including anecdotes regarding slave ownership, economic unrest, and labor actions). Given the starting point of the community—23 Dutch-Jewish refugees whom Peter Stuyvesant sought to deport—the evolution of the Jews of New York into a powerful cultural and political force with a national and international impact is nothing short of remarkable. Moore makes this transformation comprehensible by providing vivid snapshots of the personalities who helped make it happen, including Rebekah Bettelheim, Sender Jarmulowsky, and Meyer London. Other historical lenses reveal unexpected connections, as when Moore explains how ports “served as formative nodes in emerging Jewish civic equality.” This is the best kind of popular history: one that does not sacrifice nuance or detail for accessibility.