Jewish Women In The 21st Century Essay

As a result of the seemingly never ending criticism Jews received, different Jews saw the need to reform in different ways. Many Jews worked harder to assimilate and be integrated into New York’s society and culture. Philosopher Horace Kallen, encouraged a diverse community and created institutions like the New School for Social Research to promote a diverse and ethnic country. Organizations like these influenced many Jews to abandon their past cultures and embrace American society. These Jews began to speak English rather than Yiddish as the American born generation began, initiating a spark in Jewish acceptance in New York.

There were many ways that New York Jews began to promote their culture in New York. Women were one of the leading roles. Many Jewish women felt it was important to dress and look like a New York Women and began to play a major role in fashion design, beauty culture, and the advertising

One way they did this was by creating communities all over New York. Jews slowly began moving out of their old homes in the Lower East Side and Harlem as black families began to move in. From the 1970’s until the 1990’s, many Jews moved to the Upper West and Upper East side as well as Riverdale. These communities all had distinct traditions and affiliations which welcomed many different types of Jews to New York. Some Jews stayed religiously observant, sending their children to day schools and being members of a synagogue, while others left their religion behind and often intermarried. Orthodox Jews remained in their close knit communities in Brooklyn, while those from Brooklyn who sought to decrease their religious affiliations moved to Staten Island. Many Jews began to spread to the suburbs of both New York and New Jersey at this time as well. As a result of the major Jewish presence in New York, Jews became more and more comfortable to embrace their