Author: Yashoma Boodhan

Jews and Italians in Greater New York City, 1880 to World War I: Part i

In the later half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, there was a large influx of approximately two million Jewish immigrants, from various parts of Europe and parts of Asia, into the United States; a majority of them settled in the New York City area. The incoming Jewish population was very diverse in culture, ideas and politics.

Still, some Jews decided to stay in Europe or Asia. Many of those who chose to remain in their homelands, despite the persecution they faced, were extremely religious. They chose to stay because they saw American ideas revolving solely around money and material wealth.

The eastern European Jews that arrived in New York were considered skilled or semiskilled workers, more so than their eastern and southern European immigrant counterparts, because they migrated from urban environments. As a result, they were readily employed in the garment industry, metal industry, food industry and even in building and furnishing.

In addition, many of the Jews coming into the United States were well-educated, politically active and cultured with urban industrial experience, a likely secular education, and also possibly less adherence to the orthodox religion. All of these traits make it easier for the Jews to assimilate compared to other immigrants.

Many of the Jewish immigrants settled in the area enclosed by the Bowery, the East River, Market Street and 14th Street; in this area, Yiddish became the dominant language. However, due to sub-ethnic groups, there were other languages spoken by the Jewish population, languages like Judeo-Spanish, Arabic, and even Greek.

Jewish influence extended beyond language as the streets began to be commercialized. On the streets, one could find clothing, religious articles or anything else from pushcarts in the area. The Jewish population continued to grow; Irish and German immigrants in the area moved elsewhere.

Americanized German Jews sought to do something about their eastern European counterparts, whom they considered “uncouth” and “jargon-speaking.” To the German Jews, it was not only the living conditions that was the problem but also the customs, manners, and practices of the eastern Jews. Therefore, in an effort to Americanize them, German Jews created several organizations for vocational and citizenship training.

Several of these agencies were well received by the eastern European Jewish community. One such agency was the Educational Alliance which offered several educational classes in different languages throughout the day, access to a library, access to a gym, and much more. The German Jews continued to create and fund organizations that sought to solve issues of the eastern European Jewish community, and the community took advantage of the new resources opened to them.

Among the many issues in the eastern European Jewish area was the issue of crime. Violent crimes and illegal activities, such as gambling, arson and prostitution were common. The Lower East Side was referred to as “the world’s brothel.” German-Jewish leaders aimed to reduce crime by creating more programs to resolve problems, and create unity in the Jewish community. However, their efforts proved fruitless.

Soon, landsmanshaft organizations were formed and they provided many services intended to relieve dependence on outside charities; among these services were life insurance, health benefits, and aid in finding jobs or housing. As the community grew, so did the benevolent organizations and businesses — ranging from organizations seeking to find burial plots to organizations providing a place of worship.

The Jewish community then turned to tackling issues regarding labor by forming labor unions. Through strikes, workers were able to make their voices heard. Women played an especially large role in these unions because they were largely the ones being subjected to bad working conditions in the garment shops.

Although the Jewish community showed some appreciation of the socialist party, they did not consider politics their arena, but rather the arena of the Irish. Over time, some political parties rose and fell.

Eastern European Jews by this time were becoming more secular; they worked on the sabbath and preferred to go to the Yiddish theater. Many Jews were no longer strictly orthodox. Secular education was on the rise and religious education was becoming less popular. However, the decline of religion was eased by the Americanized synagogue which offered secular and religious sermons in Yiddish and English. Yet, the Jewish youth digressed and sought entertainment and knowledge elsewhere.

One of the places where the youth mixed and became more Americanized was the public school. Education was prized among the Jewish, males and females, and they saw it as a means of social mobility. They were early to class and less likely to drop out. They explored different areas and attended night school. A majority of the 1910 graduating class at CCNY was Jewish.

Soon, the young Yiddish intellectuals gathered in public places representing a particular political philosophy or a cultural specialty. Writers talked and lectured about Yiddish culture and the Yiddish youth participated directly in this culture — attending lectures, dancing, going to the theater, or going to the candy store.

In fact, the Yiddish theater played an exceptionally large role in Yiddish culture; it addressed much of what the Jewish community faced, such as generational conflict, ethnic identity, and the opposition of secular and religious beliefs. The theater was entertainment and was a means for Jews to participate in American life.

The Bloody Streets of New York

The 2002 film, Gangs of New York, directed by Martin Scorsese, presents a somewhat accurate description of New York City during the 1860’s through the eyes of two rival gangs in the Five Points area. The events in the film take place in the midst of political corruption and the American Civil War between the Northern and Southern states. Bill Cutting and Priest Vallon lead two rival gangs who both want to control the Five Points. Priest Vallon is killed by Bill, and the Priest’s son, Amsterdam, is sent away to an orphanage. Many years after, Amsterdam arrives in the Five Points thirsty for revenge. Amsterdam’s developing relationship with Bill Cutting and his experiences with the bitter ethnic feud between the Irish Catholic immigrants and Protestant natives in the film, explore the development of American identity in the mid-19th century.

To Bill Cutting and Priest Vallon, America, and what it means to be an American means something different. For Bill Cutting, an American is a man who is a native-born Protestant. Bill thinks of himself as American because his father is a White-Anglo-Saxon-Protestant (WASP) who fought for America in the War of 1812. He sees Priest Vallon and his men as invaders. On the other hand, Priest Vallon sees America as inclusive of all peoples — native and foreign, Catholic and Protestant. Priest sees being an American as something that is beyond blood heritage. These two men clash at the Five Points to fight for their own version of America.

Due to polarization between their two groups and the circumstances at the time, Bill and Priest simply couldn’t coexist. The only option was to die fighting for an America they each believed in. Priest Vallon leads his gang of Roman Catholic Irishmen against Bill Cutting and his gang of Protestant Americans. Even though Bill acknowledges the similarities between himself and Priest when he says, “The Priest and me, we lived by the same principles, it was only faith divided us,” it is not enough to unite them. Both Bill and Priest are seen as honorable men in their respective street-cultured groups and they both trust in God — whoever that God may be — to deliver justice; but they are too headstrong in their beliefs to even consider reconciliation. Just as America is in a violent war between the North and South, and whites and blacks, Bill and Priest are in a violent battle with each other. America is divided and the director makes this clear by including scenes that show the effects of the American Civil War, draft riots, racial lynching, and corrupt politicians that converge on the Five Points.

For Bill and Priest, there is no room for compromise. Still, the role both of these men play as father figures for Amsterdam suggests that there is hope for a better future. After Priest dies, Bill plays a large role in shaping the American-born, Irish-blooded, Amsterdam. Amsterdam finds himself under the “wings” of Bill when Bill takes him in as an apprentice. In time, Amsterdam adapts and changes to dress like Bill and interact with Bill’s crowd. Despite his Irish roots, he could pass as an “American.” Bill begins to play Priest’s fatherly role in guiding and protecting Amsterdam. He even teaches Amsterdam how to use a knife properly, an important part of the street culture. At the very beginning of the film, when Amsterdam tells Priest Vallon what Saint Michael did, Priest replies, “Good boy!” This is equivalent to the scene in the film where Amsterdam demands no pistols and Bill replies, “Good boy.” Both of these men, seemingly different, are able to contribute somewhat to a common goal of raising and protecting Amsterdam. Priest gives Amsterdam his religion and Bill gives Amsterdam the skills he needs to survive on the streets of the Five Points. Both men are able to benefit from raising Amsterdam. Priest is able to carry on his legacy and Bill gets to feel what it’s like to have a son.

They both influence Amsterdam. As a result, Amsterdam is conflicted about what he should do. Throughout the film, Amsterdam cries for Priest and for Bill, telling the audience that he sympathizes with Bill and considers him to be like a second father but feels a blood obligation to kill Bill and avenge Priest. In the end, Amsterdam avenges Priest’s death but cries as the dying Bill holds his hand. Although Bill and Priest were unable to see eye to eye, Amsterdam symbolizes the possibility of unity in the future because he was touched by both sides. This is shown when Amsterdam buries Priest Vallon and Bill Cutting next to each other and buries the blade Priest gave him in between their bodies. In the movie, Amsterdam represents the possibility of a new era because he was able to witness the tragedy, and feel the losses that resulted from the ethnic battles of the Five Points. Behind Bill and Priest’s graves is a dark view with smoke rising out of New York City which is cinematically symbolic. The collapsing of the graves, and the fading in of bright skies and skyscrapers in the film, shows that from the death of these two men grew the religiously and ethnically diverse America seen today.

According to the film, America is diverse in many ways, but it is not these differences that matter. The director makes it clear that it is the ability to live in commonality that is truly American. In the United States of America, to be an American is to believe in a united America and to fight for America, not within America, against each other. In the end, the blood spilled is all American blood. The director makes this clear by emphasizing the tragic effects of the American Civil War, racial lynching, draft riots and ethnic conflict. This idea is shown symbolically in the bird’s-eye view shots of blood staining the streets when the Irish and nativists clash in the beginning of the film and the shots of the splashing pools of blood, symbolizing the destructive result of the people’s escalated hatred and violence, when several opposing groups converged and the end of the film. It is also shown in the slow pan shots throughout the movie of the coffins lining the harbor as a result of the American Civil War and the dead bodies lining the streets as a result of the converging of all the different groups (opposers of the draft, enforcers of the draft, the rich, the poor, the Irish, and the nativists) on the streets of the city to fight. Looking at the chaotic scenes, one cannot separate the blood of one person from that of another. Amsterdam says, “Friend or foe, didn’t make no difference now.”

The idea of what makes an American — religion, origin, history, ethnicity or shared values — is addressed from the beginning to the end of the film through the character relationships and the emphasis on cinematic symbols. Bill and Priest, like many other people in opposing groups in the film, could not coexist. The director makes a statement that a more diverse and tolerant American was born from the violent interactions between individuals, gangs, and the state militia in the mid-19th century. He does this by showing the tragic effects of a divided America. Hope for a better, more united future is presented by the director, through Amsterdam, who buries his father’s blade and walks away.

In the novel Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska, the main character Sara, expresses her dislike of her father. Sara is frustrated by her father’s tyrannical rule over her life and the lives of her sisters. As a result, Sara runs away in order to pursue a life of her own — filled with her hopes, dreams and ideas of love. Although Sara and her father are very different in their ideals and dreams, they are very much alike in character and actions.

Sara’s father comes to America with old-fashioned ideas like, women live to only serve the men in their lives, and women have no place in higher education. He thinks that his ideas are the only right ideas and that he is better and more enlightened than others. This is shown when he attempts to find husbands for his daughters and when he strikes the landlord.

Sara’s father is well versed in the Torah. He prides himself in being a very religious man. Despite his poor financial situation, he always has his eyes on money and that motivates many of his actions. Sara’s father does not earn any money but finds ways to spend it. Most of the money that he receives from his children goes to serve his desires. He takes away from the mouths of his family in order to fulfill his goals of helping others, buying books and contributing to different organizations.

Sara’s actions, and the motivations behind them, do not contrast those her father’s as much as one would initially believe. Sara, headstrong and focused on her beliefs and ideas, like her father, is willing to ignore the feelings of her parents and siblings and isolate herself in an effort to become a teacher. She does not force her beliefs on others but ignores their input and does what she believes is right in her mind. Because it was of no benefit to her, Sara didn’t go to see her mother until her final days, and even after the death of mother, refused to cut a piece of her clothing. Like her father, Sara is willing to sacrifice at all costs to reach her goals.

Although it may seem like Sara and her father are selfish, they are actually altruistic. Sara’s father donated near all of his money to the poor. In the end of the novel, Sara gives money to her father’s new wife to help him and even offers him the opportunity to live with her. Although they are both motivated to seek money and wealth, they also have hearts of gold when it comes to helping others. This is partly because they share appreciation of the ideas from the Torah. Later on in her life, Sara finds herself understanding and appreciating the religious teachings of her father.

Sara’s father has come to America refusing to give up the past, and Sara faces a similar situation after she runs away and becomes a teacher. Both of them feel a sort of gravitation to the past and their old roots in a new world. This gravitation is what brings Sara and her father back together but will always set them apart.