This unit explores the lives of Jewish immigrants that settled in Philadelphia between the late-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. These people left their homelands for a variety of reasons in search for better opportunities. Once in Philadelphia, they rebuilt their lives learning to integrate into a new country while still maintaining their cultural roots and religious customs. Their histories are part of a larger narrative of social and cultural transformations that affected the Unites States. These lessons will answer questions such as: Why did they choose to leave their country? How did they move across the globe? and How did their lives change in the United States? These main questions connect the local history of Jewish-Philadelphia with a national, and international, scope.
The establishment of immigrants in a new place has many layers, which is why the lessons in this unit examine cases of both individuals and families. These levels of analysis provide the students with a broader understanding of Jewish immigrant history before and after arriving in Philadelphia. These cases also unveil how the process of integration in a new country is not an isolated process, rather it depends on social networks and collaboration.
Para ver esta Leccion en Español, Click Aqui.