Introduction: Searching the patterns. -- Patterns of evidence: identifying small communities. -- Patterns of settlement: the early years. -- Patterns of settlement: the era of mass migration. -- Patterns of stability and mobility. -- Patterns of livelihood and class. -- Patterns of family life. -- Patterns of congregational organization. -- Patterns of synagogue history. -- Patterns of religious leadership. -- Patterns of culture: the German Jews. -- Patterns of culture: the East Europeans. -- Patterns of prejudice and of transformation. -- Epilogue: Patterns of endurance and decline. -- Reading the manuscript census
Summary
In this book, Lee Shai Weissbach offers the first comprehensive portrait of small-town Jewish life in America. Exploring the history of communities of 100 to 1000 Jews, the book focuses on the years from the mid-nineteenth century to World War II. Weissbach examines the dynamics of 490 communities across the United States and reveals that smaller Jewish centers were not simply miniature versions of larger communities but were instead alternative kinds of communities in many respects. The book investigates topics ranging from migration patterns to occupational choices, from Jewish education and marriage strategies to congregational organization. The story of smaller Jewish communities attests to the richness and complexity of American Jewish history and also serves to remind us of the diversity of small-town society in times past
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-336) and index
