Religion was an integral part of Jewish life in the Shtetl. Apart from its spiritual significance, it dictated political structure and exerted an enormous influence on education and culture. However the influx of Jewish migrants into New York City during the early 20^th century relates a striking tale of the clash between the spirituality of the past and the fresh secular influences which beckoned for assimilation. The immigrant experience sheds some light on the ebb and flow of the Judaic Orthodoxy that reigned supreme in the Shtetl. In New York there prevailed a gaping absence of the communal camaraderie and piety that governed the Shtetls. New arrivals such as fervent Orthodox offered a trivial threat to the already established secular New York society and impulses of the Reform movement. The demise of orthodoxy also in tandem facilitated the morphing of Jewish identity, which ultimately succumbed to modern influences. This project will analyze the journey that religion underwent during the immigrant experience in New York. Deviations in attitudes, practice, education and trends in the socio-cultural category will all be analyzed.

Table of Contents

I. There: An Evaluation of the Status of Religious Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe

II. Here: The Emergence of Movements and The Revamping of Religious Practice

III. Here: Orthodoxy and Its Attempts to Ward off “Americanization”

IV. Conclusion

V. Bibliography