American Jewish Desk Reference : The Ultimate One-Volume Reference to the Jewish Experience in America

From the Foremost Archive of the American Jewish Experience, the First All-Encompassing Reference to Jewish Life in the United States, from 1654 to the Present This authoritative reference of nearly 900 entries covers all aspects of America's lively and influential Jewish culture--history, religion, rituals, family life, law, politics, business, education, music and the arts, sports, entertainment, books, language, science, and more. It is at once an indispensable resource, the perfect gift for every bar/ bat mitzah, graduation, and wedding, and a book that every Jew and many non-Jews will want close at hand. American Jewish Desk Reference brings together the events, personalities, themes and issues of contemporary Jewish life in the United States on a scope never attained before in a single volume. It's brimming with in-depth essays on significant topics and compelling biographies of hundreds of prominent American Jewish personalities. Their achievements and contributions to all walks of life are here, from Bella Abzug, Mortimer Adler, and Woody Allen, to Elie Wiesel, Henny Youngman, and Florenz Ziegfeld. Effortless to use and a delight to both casual browsers and serious researchers, the book features: Convenient chronological or alphabetical organization Entries on over 500 influential Jewish Americans, over 100 topic essays, and well over 200 key historical events. Over 100 black-and-white photographs from the American Jewish Historical Society, as well as private collections. Fascinating sidebars, statistics, anecdotes and kernels of American Jewish lore that will surprise and delight even the most knowledgeable reader. American Jewish Desk Referenceis the best place to look for ready answers to all your questions about Jewish life and history in America.

<b>The American Jewish Historical Society</b> has served as the "national archives of the Jewish people in America" since 1892, and is the oldest national ethnic historical organization in the United States. It is located in Waltham, Massachusetts and New York City.

A sample of subjects covered in American Jewish Desk Reference

1585        The first known Jews to step on American soil, Joachim Gaunse,
                 Lands on Roanoke Island

1656        Congregation Sharith, although not yet allowed to worship in a synagogue
                 in New York City, buys the first American Jewish cemetery site.

1777        New York grants full political rights to Jews

1871        The first Hebrew weekly in America is published.

1907        Physicist Albert Michelson is the first American Jew to win the Nobel
                Prize

1915        The predominantly Jewish Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union strikes
                to reduce the twelve-hour workday

1923        The first Hillel Foundation is established at the University of Illinois

1927        Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern's Showboat debuts

1928        Hadassah's membership peaks at over 37,000 women

1944        Center-fielder Tiby Eisen joins the All-American Girls Professional
                Baseball League

1947        Arthur Miller's All My Sons wins the New York Drama Critics Circle Award

1948        William Paley creates CBS TV

1949        Mel Brooks leaves the Catskills to write for Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows"

1952        Harold Ross founds The New Yorker

1954        Sammy Davis, Jr., converts to Judaism

1962         Theodore H. White wins a Pulitzer Prize for The Making of the
         President

1967        American Jews raise more than $317.5 million to support the Six-Day War

1970        Bella Abzug is the first woman elected to Congress on a woman's rights/ peace platform

1971        The first female rabbi in America, Sally Priesand, is ordained

1986        Elie Wiesel is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

1990        The rate of interfaith marriages among Jews rises to 52%

1993       Stephen Spielberg's Schindler's List is released

1997       Woody Allen sets a new record with 13 Academy Award nominations for screenwriting

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Excerpted from American Jewish Desk Reference: The Ultimate One-Volume Reference to the Jewish Experience in America by American Jewish Historical Society Staff
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