My name is Jason Samstein. I am an undecided major but thinking about a major in economics. I live brooklyn and come from a very strong Jewish background. I enjoy playing and watching basketball as well as tennis. I have a strong interest in philosophy, particularly political philosophy, as well. I have had the luxury of traveling quite a bit in Europe and have always enjoyed exposure to different cultures. I am exciting to learn about more of the communities that exist right here in New York.

BLOG POSTS

The Tenement Museum

            There are those rare moments in life, where you learn something about yourself that you never knew. I grew up in a comfortable home, not overly indulgent but comfortable. I never really had to worry about having food to eat the next day. What I never really to took time to consider, however, is how my family had gotten to this point. How this Jewish American identity had been formed.

It was only by chance that I discovered that I had personal history a being represented at the Tenement Museum. My great grandmother, when coming to America, had liven on the lower east side in home much like that one. With that realization, the people who had lived in these homes came to life. The difficulties they must have faced, but also the joyous Sabbath meal with the family gathered around. It speaks to me of unrelenting spirit to succeed, to make it work whatever the cost.

The immigrant faced two very different drives. On the one hand, he sought to integrate and master the culture this “new” culture. So he fought with the only skills he had come with it, sowing and tailoring. And so, slowly their dress began to change.  On the other hand, he wanted to maintain the rich culture of his parents and grandparents. He helped create an entire subculture, where Yiddish was spoken in the streets and cousins and friends were taken as workers.

I really did not focus on the horrors they may have face. To me, the must stunning realization was how these people fought and succeeded eventually in making a life for themselves. They maintained their distinct identity, while slowly shaping a world for themselves within an entirely new culture.

BOOK REVIEW

Beyond the Melting Pot

by Nathan Glazer and Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Introduction

The book, Beyond the Melting Pot, is a unique exploration of the role ethnicity plays in shaping life in New York City and American as a whole. The book serves as an in depth response to the commonly held belief that New York is a melting pot of cultures. The authors challenge this notion using a thorough analysis of five major groups comprising the city. By analyzing the unique social, economic and political dimensions of the immigrants of the aforementioned groups, the authors explore the impact their respective origins have had on the group identity. The book has five sections focusing on the five major migrations pre-1960, that of the Negroes, Puerto Ricans, Jews, Italians, and Irish.  In each the author seeks to show how “integration” into the American culture never fully takes place, as ethnic consciousness remains very strong. While much of the information gathered is based on extensive research, a great deal of the information is also unverifiable and subjective data.

About the Authors

This book is co-authored by Nathan Glazer and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Nathan Glazer is a prominent American sociologist who has authored numerous works on issues of ethnicity and immigration. As the son of Jewish immigrants he has taken on the serious task of understanding the role of immigration in New York. He served as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as at Harvard University. Glazer has also served as a consultant on a number of governmental organizations, such as the Housing and Home Finance Agency, predecessor to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition, he was involved in the founding and editing of a public policy journal The Public Interest. Glazer is often labeled a neoconservative, though he considers himself a loyal democrat. Glazer is the primary author of most of the material in this book.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an American sociologist and politician. He received an MA and PhD in sociology from Tufts University. He served as the Ambassador to the United Nations for the United States and India. He was elected Senator four times and served on numerous presidential administrations ranging from John F Kennedy’s to Gerald Ford’s. As the Assistant Secretary of Labor, Moynihan was a major figure on the War on Poverty in the 1960’s. Moynihan is said to have written the piece on the Irish, and the conclusion of this book.

Book Analysis

There is no question that Beyond the Melting Pot is a work of tremendous historical import. It gives us deep insights into the unique challenges and developments that these immigrant groups experienced up until the 1960’s. One can open up to any chapter of this book, and find a multitude of interesting, sometimes surprising, facts about a particular group. For instance, the strong split, socio-economically/politically, between Northern and Southern (Sicilian) Italian immigrants, which led to major animosity between the groups and very different sort of integration into American culture. This is an enlightening compendium of information that one does not necessarily think about when one’s knowledge of Italian culture is largely based on a film like the Godfather. From this perspective, Beyond the Melting Pot is certainly a worthy read specifically as a compendium of information on immigration. Further, a study of the authors thought on these subjects can be telling of the thought and sentiments of thinkers of the 1960’s, both towards immigration and New York as a whole. The question remains, however, whether this book’s larger theme, namely ethnic consciousness, is still relevant to contemporary thought on the subject. To answer this question let us evaluate more closely the authors’ thesis through a few examples.

Jews in the 1960’s, the authors’ note, no longer had a unified commitment toward their tradition, which has been the source of a strong Jewish identity. Nor can we point to a common national origin or common commitment to the state of Israel, for no such commonalities exist. “And yet despite the difficulty of finding the common denominator, there is really no ambiguity about being Jewish, even though people are Jewish in different ways” (Glazer, p141). What accounts for the continued maintenance of their identity? Glazer points to a number of factors such as, religion, anti-Semitism, and economics, which remain as unifying forces. What is important here is that Glazer is pointing out how strong an impact this ethnicity continues to have on shaping the economic, political, and social nature of the group. By examining this we see that the idea of immigrant assimilation into larger American society, the melting pot if you will, is not so accurate. Identity, even in later generations continues to be shaped by ethnic backgrounds.

The authors’, however, seek to show more then just that. They seek to demonstrate that not only are ethnic groups still very much interlinked,but also that these ethnic impacts continue to guide how the group develops. On another piece on the Jews, Glazer discusses why Jews seem to have continued economic success above many other immigrant groups. Glazer mentions a number of possibilities and asserts the following, “Perhaps, then, there is among Jews an acculturation of business acumen, supported by a relatively strong family system that permits mobilization of capital, and that makes it possible to move into new areas with opportunities for great growth and high profits”(Glazer 154). Here we are identifying certain genera characteristics that help explain Jewish progress in America, particularly their apt for small business and up and coming markets. Later, we see a similar trend in highlighting the general Jewish passion for education. In these instances studying the ethnic background can help explain how the group functions, and can improve in New York.

Yet another example of this can be scene in the chapter on Italian immigrants. In, a somewhat brilliant analysis, Glazer speaks of the unique character if the Italian community. While they are often distinguished by their ambition and individuality the outlook of the family culture limits these potentials. Success, for many Italians, is defined not as independent material success, but mainly successes that are admired by one’s family. This tight knit family unit has numerous ramifications as it isolates them from the values of American culture. One example of this concept is the familial amoralism that is often prevalent. Glazer points, also, to the corrupt and barbaric politics in Southern Italy, which influenced the negative attitude of many Italians toward the U.S. government and its assumed corruption. Here to, Glazer is demonstrating his thesis that ethnicity continues to be an important factor in societal development. Integration and adjustments to the larger society no doubt occurred within all these groups. The crucial point is that even while these changes occurred, ethnic identity changed with it rather then washed away. In pointing us in this direction, the authors’ are indicating that multiculturalism, not assimilation, is really the order of the day.

In demonstrating this thesis I believe there is no doubt that Beyond the Melting Pot has played an important role in a shift of perspective on New York, and America as a whole. It is true that the importance of multiculturalism has been taken much more seriously since the time that this book was written. There is also no question that this book is also full of over generalizations, stereotypical observations, and speculative theories, some of which have been proven false. Nevertheless, the importance of its main thesis makes this a vital starting point for those interested in understanding the uniqueness of American culture.