A Social History of Yiddish Chicago

Class Description

Using the methods of social history and history from below, this class explores the world of Chicago’s Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants, who arrived in the Second City in several mass waves between the 1880s and the 1920s. Through lectures, group discussions, and a historical walking tour, we will draw on a variety of primary and secondary sources to discuss the factors that motivated Jews to leave their homes in Eastern Europe, the forces that drew them to Chicago, and the social and cultural institutions they built after they arrived. Topics we will cover include Maxwell Street and the Chicago “ghetto,” Hull House, the garment industry, Jewish labor and radical movements, Chicago’s Yiddish press, relations between Eastern European and German Jewish immigrants, and Chicago’s Zionist movements. Although the chronological boundaries of the class are not rigidly fixed, we will focus mainly on the half century between 1880 and 1930, a period during which Chicago’s Jewish population grew rapidly to become one of the largest in the world.

Please read our Walking Tour Policies. The rain date is August 6.

Ben Schacht is a writer, educator, and board member of the Chicago YIVO Society. He holds a PhD in comparative literature from Northwestern University.

Matthew Schlerf is a performer, tour guide, and community organizer. He holds an MFA in collaborative theatre making from Rose Bruford College in London.

What to Expect

Format: In Person

Class Capacity: 24

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

• Digital Course Packet

First Assignment

• Newberry DCC Collection Essay: “Life, Labor, and Culture Among Chicago’s Jewish Immigrant Garment Workers, 1880-1910.”

• Abraham Bisno, Union Pioneer, p. 1-16

• Samuel Kassow, “Shtetl,” in the YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe

A Brief Syllabus

1. Immigration & Settlement
2. Labor & Industry
3. Arts & Culture
4. Politics & Ideologies

Cost and Registration

4 Sessions, $175 ($157.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($175), Community Supported ($160), and Sponsor ($190).Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.

The views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.

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Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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