“After a boy entered [Hebrew school], he was the hero of the family. He was served before the other children at table, and nothing was too good for him. If the family were very poor, all the girls might go barefoot, but the heder boy must have shoes; he must have a plate of hot soup, though the others ate dry bread.”

–Mary Antin, The Promised Land ((Mary Antin’s The Promised Land at UPenn Digital Libraries))

The author of this quote, Mary Antin, was an immigrant who came to America in 1894 as a 12-year-old, leaving her native Polotsk, Russia. Her autobiography, The Promised Land, provides the vivid perspective of someone who has experienced the two lives of an immigrant, both here and there.

This quote, in particular, illustrates the importance of religious education of Jews in Eastern Europe during the late 19th century. Observing the educational progression of a typical Eastern European Jewish child gives us a great understanding of how this group balanced and prioritized its religious and secular educations. As we compare the education there to the one they received here, though, a noticeable shift occurs in this balance. Ultimately, we can infer a number of things from this change.

Click here to enter the life of a young Jewish male in old Eastern Europe.