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January 28, 2025

How “Hester Street” Changed Its Source Material into a New Kind of Immigration Story

An 1896 Yiddish novel’s journey to Hollywood.

The 1975 film Hester Street was based on a short 1896 novel by the great Yiddish writer and editor Abraham Cahan. Its title character, a Jewish immigrant who takes the name Jake out of his desire to assimilate, grows increasingly estranged from his wife Gitl in the old country, even as he struggles to raise the money to bring her to America. Michael Weingrad writes:

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January 28, 2025

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  4. A Fresh Look at the Story of Joseph in Egypt

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  5. How “Hester Street” Changed Its Source Material into a New Kind of Immigration Story

    An 1896 Yiddish novel’s journey to Hollywood.