[JUDAICA] [DIRECTORIES] The Jewish Community Blue Book of Newark

KAUFMAN, Anton (Chairman, Board of Editors), et al.

Verlag: The Jewish Community Blue Book Publishing Company, Newark, NJ, 1924

Octavo, 861pp., illustrated. A very good or better copy in the publisher's limp navy cloth. Binding a touch shaken,and the bottom corners gently worn, but a clean copy with only an owner's inked name on the front free endpaper, else unmarked. An extraordinary publication, which gives a rich, detailed glimpse into Jewish life in Newark in the 1920s. Though undated, there are many references to events in 1922 and 1923, which suggests a publication date of 1924. The primary contents consist of names and addresses of Jewish Newarkers in several lists; among these are synagogue congregations, contributors to various fundraising drives, club members, and civic groups. Most interesting to us are the few dozen leaves of advertisements, mostly (though not exclusively) for Jewish-owned businesses of all kinds in the Newark area. Finally, at rear is a collection of photographic portraits of "outstanding men and women in the Jewish community of Newark." These last ninety pages consist exclusively of advertisements on the versos, and photographic portraits (some whole-page; most four to a page) of such notables as Louis Bamberger, Felix Fuld, and others on the rectos. Other sections of the directory include essays on prominent Newark Jews in literature, the arts, and culture. This directory is a profound document, which captures a moment in early 20th century American Jewish culture in which assimilation was becoming a fact of life for the upwardly mobile, while Newark's Jews clearly had a strong sense of community and self-reliance, as evidenced by this massive community tome. This was the world of Philip Roth's parents; Newarkers who would have probably been in their late teens or so when this book was produced. OCLC records three physical holdings for this 1924 volume. Another five holdings are listed for a 1925 edition with the same pagination (thus it's possible that these are all the same volume). In any event, we found no other copies in commerce as of this listing, nor any in recent auction records. A fascinating record of Jewish-American life in the 1920s. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 8368

Bibliografische Details

Titel: [JUDAICA] [DIRECTORIES] The Jewish Community...
Verlag: The Jewish Community Blue Book Publishing Company, Newark, NJ
Erscheinungsdatum: 1924
Einband: Flexible boards
Zustand: Very good +