Jewish life in early 20th century America meant a constant question of identity. At a time when being an immigrant was far from celebrated, young Jews worked to free themselves from the “old country” traditions of their immigrant parents.
This all came to a head when the world witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust. Suddenly, progressive American Jews needed to decide what was more important: their American values or the suffering of fellow Jews across the world.
As Jews learned to balance the American dream with traditional Jewish values, a rich cultural diversity began to develop which has led to the great impact Jews have had on the United States until today.
