Frankfurt on the Hudson

The German Jewish Community of Washington Heights, 1933-1983, Its Structure and Culture

Steven M. Lowenstein

• Publisher: Wayne State University Press
• Year: 1989
• Print ISBN: 9780814323854
• eBook ISBN: 9780814337516
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Jewish Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

Using organizational bulletins, surveys, interviews, and personal observations and anecdotes, Lowenstein paints a picture of a unique lifestyle now in the process of merging into American Jewry and disappearing.

The 20, 000 German Jews who fled Hitler's Germany and settled in Washington Heights were unusual in many ways. They preserved their Jewish identity while fostering a culture that was still heavily German—a difficult combination in light of their origins.
In his study of this immigrant group, Steven Lowenstein strives for more that a chronicle of their institutions and leaders. He analyzes both the social structure of the community and the folk culture of the immigrants. He deals with such issues as the formal nature of German Jewish cultural style, the relationships between the generations, and intergroup relations. Using organizational bulletins, surveys, interviews, and personal observations and anecdotes, Lowenstein paints a picture of a unique lifestyle now in the process of merging into American Jewry and disappearing.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Illustrations
• Tables
• Maps
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Refuge from Germany
• 2. The Jewish Community in Germany
• 3. Establishment of the Washington Heights Community
• 4. Economic Adjustment and Communal Consolidation
• 5. The Social Structure
• 6. The Institutional Framework
• 7. The Religious Spectrum
• 8. The Immigrant Culture
• 9. Relations between the Generations
• 10. A “Changing Neighborhood”
• 11. Patterns of Ethnic Identity
• 12. Reflections on Acculturation and Ethnic Survival
• Methodological Essay
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index