In Chapter 3, Foner mentions how ethnic niches are created and that immigrants tend to go after jobs that are spread by word of mouth. This concept came up in other readings as well. This is still true to this day; in a tutoring place I work at, my employer sends out e-mails asking if any of our friends wanted/needed a job and would be willing to work. Like the garment factories, this tutoring place is flexible with scheduling, which is something more desirable than a job elsewhere where there are set hours.

It’s interesting to see how Chinese restaurants actually became part of the Jewish culture in New York City. Even though they might not be able to communicate by the same language, food can still bring people of different ethnicities together. It is definitely more apparent in today’s culture with Chinese take-out restaurants every couple of blocks in some parts of Manhattan.

In Chapter 4, Foner discusses immigrant women and their work. It’s interesting to see that the Jewish daughters were the ones who contributed the most to the income because the father’s job could be unstable and whatnot. It reminded me of the economy today. My friend’s mom recently lost her job so my friend decided to work part-time. She told me that she had been getting more interviews than her mom. If my friend did get the job, then she would be contributing more than her mom.