Entering the Goldene Medinah: The Birth of American Jewish Identity

In her first lecture, Professor Wisse provides a brief overview of the first generation of the New York Intellectuals: their emergence, goals, and cultural context. In particular, she probes the work of three different Jewish writers—Moyshe-Leyb Halpern, Anzia Yezierska, and Ludwig Lewisohn—who serve as examples of how these hitherto European Jews tried to balance their Jewishness with their new identities as Americans.