Sachar "The Legacy of Progressivism: Immigrant Jewry in the United States

Eastern Jews became politically active by supporting the American Socialist's party who's leader was Eugene Debs. Debs accepted Czechs, Hungarians, Poles, Serbs, Finns, Jews and others. They would register autonomously in their own foreign language. Jews were working mostly in the garment industry in sweatshops and we very unhappy. The Jews tried to unionize but were unsuccessful, until Morris Hillquit led an effort to establish an umbrella organization for the Jews which was called United Hebrew Trades which still had its struggles. A series of "intramural" developments that gave Jewish inionism a new vitality. One was the early ywentieth-century wave of Bundists. Another factor was the growth of the garment factory to help Jews really establish themselves and create a more solid economy for them to grow on. In 1900 they established a group called the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU).

For Jews to "Americanize" there were a few parts. First was the language most of the Jews who came from Eastern Europe no matter what language they did speak were now speaking Yiddish. The Jews even had a News Papaer that was published in Yiddish in New york. The biggest turn for the Jews was the Russian revolution of March 1917. The fall of the tsar meant freedom for all of the Jews. One of the revolutions most decisive consequences was the fact that the US was entering the war. Hundereds of the Jews were caught up in the mood of the was and intesified American Patriotism.

After the war restrictions on immigration and immigrants completely changed. Restrictions were affecting higher education and Jews were being not being admitted into the Ivy League schools as often as they were pre-war. In the business world they were limiting their hiring and directed advertising toward Christians. Athough Jews were losing their economic status they had already left there mark which we could see in the garment industry. Jews were gaining ground in the area of real estate and also cosmetics. In 1929, the onset of the Great Deprssion took some blows on American Jews. Jews who had just graduated from higher education were screwed since they had just enetered the white-collar ranks and were so low on the totem pole that they lost their chance for economic security.