HISTORY OF THE JEWS IN AMERICA – From the period of the discovery of the new world to the present time, By Peter Wiernik, published by The Jewish Press Publishing Company, New York, 1912 – First edition.
A comprehensive and detailed work on the history of Jewish immigration to America, written “in a fluent and straightforward manner, without scholarly investigations and inquiries” (in the author’s words). The book spans from the colonial period up to the early 20th century, and is accompanied by 25 black-and-white photographic reproductions of prominent figures in the American Jewish community.
The book is divided into several sections that trace the development of Jewish communities in America, beginning with the colonial era, when the Jewish population numbered fewer than ten thousand over a span of nearly three hundred years following the continent’s discovery. It describes the arrival of the first Jews in America, Jewish involvement in the discovery of the New World, Jewish settlement in Recife, Brazil, and subsequently in New Amsterdam (now New York). The text addresses the challenges faced by Jewish communities, including hostility from authorities and the struggle to maintain religious and cultural identity, the existence of inquisitions targeting Jews in the Americas (!), the establishment of the first synagogue, and the arrival of rabbis and Jewish writers. The American Revolution: the book details the participation of Jews in the War of Independence and their contribution to the revolution, with special attention to the extensive activity of Haym Salomon, a key financial intermediary who helped fund the revolution—Salomon is mentioned nearly 75 times in the correspondence of Robert Morris, the official in charge of revolutionary finances.
Following the revolution, the book discusses the growth of Jewish communities in cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charleston, and their struggle for equal rights, including the passing of the “Jew Bill” in Maryland in 1826, which allowed Jews to hold public office. A dedicated chapter explores the history of the Jewish community in Suriname.
The 19th-century immigration waves: Wiernik documents the mass immigration from Eastern Europe, the establishment of Jewish communal institutions, synagogues, schools, and charitable organizations, as well as the community’s confrontation with antisemitism and economic challenges. The book also touches on Jewish communities in Canada, South America—particularly Mexico and Cuba—and more.
The author based his work, among other sources, on the publications of the American Jewish Historical Society—a monumental body of work published in twenty volumes between 1893 and 1911—along with many other sources.
Peter Wiernik [1865–1936], a central figure in early 20th-century American Jewish journalism. Born in Brest-Litovsk (then within the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire, today in Belarus), he immigrated to the United States in 1885. A journalist, editor, author, and historian, Wiernik served for many years as the editor of The Jewish Morning Journal—a major Yiddish newspaper published in New York that played a central role among Eastern European Jews in America. He also worked for the Jewish Courier and other publications. Wiernik is regarded as a pioneer in documenting Jewish immigrant life in America, including social struggles, Jewish identity in the New World, and the tension between tradition and modernity. He was a supporter of Zionism, but opposed radical or socialist ideologies among Jewish immigrants.
XXIV, 449 pp. Printed on glossy, high-quality paper. Original binding with gilt lettering on the spine. Good condition.
