Description
The stories of vibrant eastern European Jewish communities in the Appalachian coalfields
Coalfield Jews explores the intersection of two simultaneous historic events: central Appalachia's transformative coal boom (1880s-1920), and the mass migration of eastern European Jews to America. Traveling to southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southwestern Virginia to investigate the coal boom's opportunities, some Jewish immigrants found success as retailers and established numerous small but flourishing Jewish communities.
Deborah R. Weiner's Coalfield Jews provides the first extended study of Jews in Appalachia, exploring where they settled, how they made their place within a surprisingly receptive dominant culture, how they competed with coal company stores, interacted with their non-Jewish neighbors, and maintained a strong Jewish identity deep in the heart of the Appalachian mountains. To tell this story, Weiner draws on a wide range of primary sources in social, cultural, religious, labor, economic, and regional history. She also includes moving personal statements, from oral histories as well as archival sources, to create a holistic portrayal of Jewish life that will challenge commonly held views of Appalachia as well as the American Jewish experience.
A holistic portrayal of Jewish communities in the Southern coalfields
About the Author
Deborah R. Weiner is research historian and family history coordinator at the Jewish Museum of Maryland and director of Historic Jonestown, Inc., both in Baltimore.
Reviews
Awarded the Southern Jewish Historical Society Award "for the book making the most significant contribution to the field of Southern Jewish history published during 2003-2006." (2007)
"Deborah R. Weiner chronicles the lives and communities of Jewish residents of small town Appalachia in this well researched book. . . . The book's careful reconstruction of the lives of those small town Jews no doubt appeals to descendents of the coalfield communities."--Journal of American History
"It is a pleasure to encounter examples of the increasing - and increasingly sophisticated - literature on American Jewish life outside the urban Northeast. . . .She uses a wide range of archival sources and personally interviewed three dozen former and present Jewish residents, unearthing details that give the real flavor of their experience. . . . Her book helps us understand both place and people."--Journal of Southern History
"Personal interviews and research of original source materials allow the author to discover much that has been little known. . . . The result is a new and more nuanced appreciation of Jewish contributions to the region's history and development."--Goldenseal
"Grounded in significant archival research and secondary scholarship and supplemented by a good deal of oral history. . . . Insightfully situating these Jewish communities in the context of Appalachian and small-town American Jewish history, Weiner suggests some novelty for the Jewish story. . . . Recommended."--Choice
"Based on interviews and extensive research, Deborah R. Weiner has put together a vivid picture of what life was like for the Jews of these coalfield towns. . . . This excellent portrayal of a little known chapter in American Jewish life greatly augments our understanding of the American Jewish experience."--National Jewish Post & Opinion
"This is an important contribution to scholarship and historical understanding of aspects of both Appalachian history and Jewish culture."--Multicultural Review
Awards
Winner of
Book Information
ISBN 9780252030949
Author Deborah R. Weiner
Format Hardback
Page Count 264
Imprint University of Illinois Press
Publisher University of Illinois Press
Weight(grams) 626g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 25mm
