Jewish+American+Artwork

Jewish Immigrants

 Life as a Jewish Immigrant in the 20th Century By Dana Friedman Jews fled Germany because of persecution, restrictive laws, economic hardship, and the failure of movements around the time when World War I began. They viewed America as an escape to these problems, and a place of social and economic opportunity. The Germans settled in smaller cities and town in the Midwest, West, and South. These immigrants often started their new life as a peddler, starting a small store on their route. The German-speaking Jews and their assimilation into American culture helped establish American Judaism as a national faith. Eastern Europeans came to America after being pushed out of Europe because of oppressive legislation and poverty and overpopulation. America had great social and financial advancement opportunities for the immigrants. These Eastern European Jews would settle in the poor neighborhoods of large cities. There would frequently be “Jewish sections” of cities, where living conditions would not be ideal. Many immigrants would work in large factories. Culture was extremely important to the Jewish immigrants in the 20th century. The culture was called Yiddish, and it flourished in immigrant communities. ﻿ The oil painting entitled Destruction of the Ghetto by Abraham Manievich, there lays a great deal of ambiguity. Many aspects of the painting remain unknown, such as where all the Jews are, and why the tone of the painting is so “dark”. I chose this painting simply because of its dark side. To me, it represents the anti-Semitism that the Jews experienced back in their countries before immigrating to America. For many, anti-Semitism was the motive that boosted the Jews to flee to America. For others, it was simply other opportunity and family. The photograph “The Steerage” is an image of hundreds of Jewish immigrants on the ship to America. One can see worry on the faces of the individuals, as they may be nervous to encounter the change of lifestyle. Besides being worried, many seem hopeful to get to America at last and to escape the harsh lifestyle that they had to live in their country. I chose this photograph because it shows the peoples’ emotions regarding what they are escaping. Also, one is able to see how the people lived on the boat, which seems to be very cramped and overcrowded. It is important to learn about the immigrant process, as well as the reasons for immigration.

In both pieces, a great amount of important themes are present. In the photograph “The Steerage”, one theme that is portrayed is family. One can see the individuals gathered together with their fellow immigrants and family on the boat, possibly pondering what is ahead of them. We can also find this theme in modern American art, where individuals in the artwork are shown close to their family. Family is the basis of one’s culture, making it important to art that may express one’s culture. Another theme that can be found in this photograph is struggle for opportunity. The Jews on the ship are living a cramped lifestyle with lack of good food and sanitation. They are fighting through the hardship on their trip to America because they know that when they arrive, they will be faced with many opportunities and a better lifestyle than they had in their country. In the painting “Destruction of the Ghetto”, Abraham Manievich also portrays the theme of struggle for opportunity. The abstract version of a dark, threatening environment containing a destructed jumble of houses shows the true struggles and hardships that the immigrants had to face while living in their native countries. TheseJewish immigrants were fortunate enough to be able to escape the harsh reality in their country and immigrate to America, which was full of various types of opportunity and a chance to escape antisemitism. We can view this theme in American art as well. Many times we can associate this theme with the theme of hope, which can be found in art about families and in art expressing major events such as a war.

LIFE OF A JEWISH IMMIGRANT Jillian Mongiove

Between 1880- 1914 a huge population of Jewish immigrants fled from all over Europe to America hoping for a better life. They left their homes because of the repression, poverty, and the discrimination they were being faced with. Political leaders of Europe forced Jews to live in ghettos, took away all their civil rights, education, and any job opportunities they had. They were being embarrassed and harassed because of their religion and the idea that’s Jews were enemies to Christianity. As Jews came to America they began to have hope for future and the possibility of fulfilling their hopes and dreams. America is now the largest and most significant place for Jews other than in Israel. Still today America has been a place where Jews can express their beliefs and culture in a safe and respected manner.

Jewish Immigrants have expressed their past experiences in many different artistic forms. From paintings, and photographs to handmade quilts one will be able to find a past memory in many of Jewish immigrant’s artwork. A quilt made by a group of Jewish immigrants including imagery, Russian textiles and motifs was displayed in the Jewish Museum in New York. It was believed that a Russian family started this quilt when they lived in Russia and completed it when living in America. The quilt was made by different pieces of fabric put together containing multiple shapes and colors. Another piece of art that was displayed in the Jewish Museum in New York was a photograph titled //Steerage// taken by Alfred Stieglitz. The photograph was of a ship bound for Paris. It specifically showed the two levels of the ship, upper and lower class separated by a diagonal large walkway. Stieglitz was an immigrant traveling on the upper deck. The ship was not going to America but it was instead returning immigrants back to Europe because of poor health problems or lack of financial support. Both two pieces of artwork just discussed portrays the way Jewish Americans spoke about their past. Many used artwork and photography to relive past memories and how they went about their new life.

Both pieces of artwork discussed showed similar themes within their design. Throughout both pieces of art, themes such as life in America were shown. In the quilt made by a Russian family the border around the edges relates to life in America. Pictures of the American flag combined with the Star of David are embroidered around the edges symbolizing freedom and their new life. In the photograph taken by Alfred Stieglitz it shows immigrants on a ship returning to Europe from America. This picture captures a huge part in reality and what many immigrants faced when they came to America. Many people were sent home because of health or financial issues. Both pieces of artwork show what Jewish Immigrants faced when they came to America and express the freedom and opportunities they experienced.

Amanda Mongiove: Jewish Immigrants came to America in three separate waves beginning during the 19th century. The first wave of Jewish immigrants was the Sephardic Jews that came over during the colonial and revolutionary war period. This first wave of immigrants, coming over from Spain, Portugal, North Africa, and the Middle East, came to America after the expulsion of the Jews in Spain. This wave of Jewish immigrants was successful economically and participated actively in American society. The second wave of Jewish immigrants came to America from Germany and central Europe. Many of the Jews from this wave of immigrants became peddlers or merchants, becoming an important part of the growing middle class. The third, and largest, wave of Jewish immigrants came over from Eastern Europe and Russia. Many of these immigrants came to America fleeing restriction or extreme persecutions in their native countries. Many of the Jews from this wave settled into urban centers and went into the handicraft trades in the garment and cigar-rolling industries. They would remain in these industries until they raised capital to go into business for themselves. Jewish immigrants made many artistic and cultural contributions to America. One of these important contributions is the design of the heads side, a silhouette of president Lincoln, of the American penny. Jewish immigrant Victor David Brenner created this design of the 1909 Lincoln penny. I chose this piece of art because it demonstrates how influential Jewish immigrants have been in America. The design of this penny is still being used today and is known by almost everyone in the country. Although it may seem to be just a minor aspect, the penny is an important part of American life. The heads side of the penny, created by a Jewish immigrant, is said to bring luck to whoever finds it on the ground. The second piece of art that I chose is one by the Jewish immigrant Isaac Soyer. This painting titled __Employment Agency__ depicts the realities of employment in America during Soyer’s life. This is important because it reveals the truth about how employment was back then contrary to what many immigrants may have believed coming to America. The design of the heads side of the American penny by Victor David Brenner shows the American themes of nationalism and Pride for America. These are important themes in the American artistic voice because many American citizens are very patriotic and proud of their country which is evident in much of their art. Another theme present in this design is the value of a good leader. Using Lincoln, one of the great leaders of our past, as a basis of the design of the penny demonstrates the importance of leadership in America. A theme present in __Employment Agency__ by Isaac Soyer is that there are a lot of false expectations for immigrants coming to America. This painting reveals the actuality of how difficult it was for people to get work when coming to America. This theme plays an important part in the overall American artistic voice because immigrants coming to America were a large part in the American art industry and their experiences help to form the American artistic voice itself.

Jack Rickles


 * Uncle Sam wants Jew!**

Even though there were originally very few Jews in America, they have migrated in great numbers and have become a very integral part of the society. The majority of Jewish people originated from Europe and Spain in particular had a multitude of Jews before 1500. In 1492, during the height of the Spanish Inquisition, many of the Jews in Europe moved to Brazil and other South American countries so that they weren’t killed at the order of King Ferdinand. After centuries of living in South America, they were under attack again and decided to seek religious toleration in New Amsterdam, present day New York. The Jewish population in America grew quickly and between 1640 and 1860, 150,000 Jews immigrated to America and created more than 200 synagogues. By 1940, the Jewish population skyrocketed and they made up almost 4% of the American population, with 4.5 million people countrywide. Even though the Jewish people were forced to leave Europe, they were warmly welcomed into America and now there are around 6 million American Jews.

The photograph that I chose distinctly displays the conventions of Jewish immigration into America and the photo shows a lot about the sentiments of immigrants coming to this country. The photo is from 1911 and is of a Russian-Jewish family consisting of a mother and four children who are on the boat on the way to America in search of work. Behind them there are many other people who are sta ndi ng and watching take the pict ure, but it is clear that the ship is very crowded and that there is not much room to move. Man y of the men in the back ground have long beards and black hats, conventional clothes of Jewish men at the time. In another light, a very influential J ewi sh immi grant in the history of America is Victor David Brenner who was born in 1871 in Siauliai , Lithuania. When he was nineteen years old he sailed across the Baltic Sea and the Northern Atlantic Ocean and lived in New York City. He attended the Cooper Union art school in New York City and mastered in sculpting and engraving with the skills that his father had taught him in Europe. In 1908 the United States Mint was searching for a new design to appear on the front of the penny, and coin worth 1/100 of dollar. His design was the exact engraving that appears on every copper penny even today, more than a century after it was created. The face of the coin includes the profile view of Abraham Lincoln, the year that the coin was minted, and the phrases, “In God We Trust,” and, “Liberty.”

Overall, when looking at artwork of Jewish-American immigrants a lot of similar themes appear consistently. Many of the painting and other forms of art display dark images that suggest the anti-Semitism and hostility that they endured in their past countries but the majority of them are also upbeat and include a lighter side, representing the religious toleration and respect with which they were presented when they arrived in the United States of America. It is clear from the superfluous work of this kind of art that the Jewish artists are thankful for immigrating to America and being accepted here as an America.



Jon Biagioli

Throughout history, the Jewish people have been persecuted in their native lands, especially Europe. They came to America in search of a better life, without persecution. During The Spanish inquisition, many Jews fled to the Netherlands because of their religious toleration. In 1630 the Dutch captured the Brazilian port of Recife from the Portuguese. After this many Jews who had been secretly practicing, publicly declared their Judaism. However in 1654 The Portuguese recaptured the port and the Jews were forced to flee. 23 of those Jews found their way to New York, becoming the first Jewish immigrants in America. The First great wave of Jewish immigrants was from 1820 to 1880 when 150,000 Jews came to America from Germany and central Europe. They came because they were fed up with the restrictions on their occupations and who they could marry in their home countries. Once they arrived in America they peddled across the country and after making enough money they began setting up stores. They would then bring their families to America and get married. This eventually led to the buildup of Jewish communities. From 1880 to 1924 more than 2 million Jews came to America from Eastern Europe. Many of these Jews were from Russia were they were persecuted greatly, and there was great poverty and war. These Jews sought to truly succeed in America and therefore they taught their kids English and sent them to school, while they got into politics and formed labor unions.

The first piece of artwork I chose is a song by Irving Berlin. Irving was born in Russia in 1888. When Irving was only 5 years old his father, who was a cantor at a synagogue, decided to move his family to New York and they settled there in 1893. The song I chose is very well known and is from the Broadway Production Annie Get Your Gun. It is titled “Anything Your Can Do.” The song switches between a man and a woman each claiming that they can out do the other. I chose this song because it represents how in America you have the opportunity to achieve anything. The second piece of artwork I chose is a painting by Ben Shahn called “Study for Jersey Homesteads.” Shahn Was born in Lithuania in 1898 and his family immigrated to the Untied States in 1906. The painting shows a group of Jewish people crossing a bridge with coffins on one side and factory workers on another. Also below the bridge is a group of people who seem to be enclosed, and an American Flag outside of the enclosed area.

Irving’s song “Any Thing You Can Do,” displays several themes of american artwork. It displays the idea that one can achieve anything in America claiming “Anything you can do I can do better.” The same line also represents the theme of equal opportunity, that might not be available in a lot of other countries. The painting “Study for Jersey Homesteads” displays the theme of coming to America in search of a better place. Behind the people standing on the bridge one sees people in coffins, representing the turmoil of their old country, and in front of the bridge are factory workers using sewing machines, representing the opportunity for a new life in America. Also below the Bridge is a group of people that are enclosed, and outside the area they are enclosed in is the American flag. This represents how difficult actually getting to america might be.

Irving Berlin- "Anything You Can Do" media type="youtube" key="pVnIKosSlyM?fs=1" height="385" width="480" Ben Shahn- "Study For Jersey Homesteads"

Eric Saunders

The Jewish Journey to America

From 1880 through 1924 about two million Jewish immigrants came from Eastern Europe. Many of these immigrants came from Russia where they escaped poverty, violent and pogroms. The desire to give their children a better education, and of course for the American Dream is what drove them to America. When the immigrants came to America, they mainly came to the East Coast. Many came to Boston, South Philadelphia, and New York’s Lower East Side. Life was hard, as they lived in tenements, and worked in sweatshops. They worked as sewers, and sold house ware from pushcarts. These Jewish immigrants eventually would join labor unions, and gradually start to get better jobs. The immigrants formed the backbone of American industry and made the US a richer, more diverse society than it had ever been before.

Jewish immigrants contributed many things toward American art. One big thing they contributed is Yiddish writing and theater. Jewish immigrants such as Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Irving Berlin helped changed the way their professions run. Both of them made significant contributions to the arts. Irving Berlin had one of the greatest contributions to American Culture that anyone has ever had. His most famous song, God Bless America is one of the most popular American songs. Other Jewish immigrants have made major contribution to the creation of movies and theater with Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures, which are some of the most established production agencies ever.

Irving Berlin was a Jewish immigrant from Israel, who was a very influential songwriter before, during and after his term in World War II. He had many great songs, but his most famous is God Bless America. This song was really a great contribution to the American culture because it brings Americans together, and gives them all something to sing together. God Bless America is known as America’s second national anthem. In the song God Bless America, there is a clear theme of patriotism. The song showed how much Berlin loved his new country. One of the best parts about Berlin’s songs is that he wrote them himself. Unlike most musicians, he did not get a college degree. He learned through experience, which is very relatable to the average citizen. Berlin could not even read music at a high level. Overall, Berlin’s influence is not something that is directly seen in today’s world. Most of his influence was for the time he wrote his songs. Berlin wrote many songs for various reasons. He had a few for presidential candidates such as Dwight Eisenhower, and he made songs to help the war against Hitler. He even wrote the national anthem for Israel. The things he wrote really changed people’s views of current issues. He alone could influence many peoples vote for president, or influence peoples stance on the war against Hitler. Many agree that Irving Berlin is the greatest songwriter to ever live.

Isaac Singer was a famous writer, who won the Nobel Prize in literature. He was one of the leading figures in the  Yiddish literary movement. Singer wrote in a very different way so that one could tell the difference between the lives his heroes lead and the life they should lead. Also, Singer wrote about themes of witchcraft and mystery. Towards the end of his career, he wrote about immigration, and how even if one thinks he has achieved the American dream, he still has not because it cannot possibly live up to the expectations that it is made out to be. Singer has a famous book that eventually became a movie called, Enemies. This film is very interesting because it talks about a holocaust survivor, who immigrates to New York and loses his faith. This is especially interesting because that is normally what happened when many immigrants came. For example, when Jewish immigrants came from Russia they were very religious. When they got here, not nearly as many of these Jewish immigrants were religious. Because of this, they had to join a congregation that was not as religious. This new type of Judaism would eventually be known to be called, Conservative Judaism.