Smoothing the Jew (Paperback)

Jeffrey A. Marx

ISBN 10: 1978836341 / ISBN 13: 9781978836341

Published by Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick NJ, 2024

About this Item

Paperback. The turn of the nineteenth century in the United States saw the substantial influx of immigrants and a corresponding increase in anti-immigration and nativist tendencies among longer-settled Americans. Jewish immigrants were often the object of such animosity, being at once the object of admiration and anxiety for their perceived economic and social successes. One result was their frequent depiction in derogatory caricatures on the stage and in print. Smoothing the Jew investigates how Jewish artists of the time attempted to smooth over these demeaning portrayals by focusing on the first Jewish comic strip published in English, Harry Hershfields Abie the Agent. Jeffrey Marx demonstrates how Hershfield created a Jewish protagonist who in part reassured nativists of the Jews ability to assimilate into American society while also encouraging immigrants and their children that, over time, they would be able to adopt American customs without losing their distinctly Jewish identity. Both the object of admiration and anxiety, Jewish immigrants to the United States at the turn of the nineteenth century were often depicted in derogatory caricatures. Smoothing the Jew investigates how Jewish artists of the time attempted to "smooth over" these demeaning images, focusing on the first Jewish comic strip published in English, Harry Hershfield's Abie the Agent. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781978836341

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Smoothing the Jew (Paperback)
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick NJ
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1978836341
• ISBN 13: 9781978836341
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The turn of the nineteenth century in the United States saw the substantial influx of immigrants and a corresponding increase in anti-immigration and nativist tendencies among longer-settled Americans. Jewish immigrants were often the object of such animosity, being at once the object of admiration and anxiety for their perceived economic and social successes. One result was their frequent depiction in derogatory caricatures on the stage and in print.
 
Smoothing the Jew investigates how Jewish artists of the time attempted to “smooth over” these demeaning portrayals by focusing on the first Jewish comic strip published in English, Harry Hershfield’s Abie the Agent. Jeffrey Marx demonstrates how Hershfield created a Jewish protagonist who in part reassured nativists of the Jews’ ability to assimilate into American society while also encouraging immigrants and their children that, over time, they would be able to adopt American customs without losing their distinctly Jewish identity.
 

About the Author

JEFFREY A. MARX is an independent scholar, the Rabbi Emeritus of The Santa Monica Synagogue in California, and a former visiting lecturer at Emeritus College, Hebrew Union College, and Pepperdine University. His publications appear in scholarly journals and in popular media on topics ranging from Jewish studies to New York culture.