Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom: A Window into the New York Ghetto

Abraham Cahan's Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto is a collection of short stories that provides a glimpse into the lives of Jewish immigrants in New York City's Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century.

Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto

by Abraham Cahan

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1018 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	258 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

The stories in this collection explore themes of poverty, prejudice, and the struggle to assimilate into a new culture.

Poverty

The Lower East Side was one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. Many of the Jewish immigrants who lived there worked long hours in sweatshops for meager wages. In the story "Yekl," the title character works as a peddler and barely makes enough money to support his family.

The poverty that the Jewish immigrants faced is often contrasted with the wealth of the American elite. In the story "The Imported Bridegroom," a young Jewish woman named Leah is forced to marry a wealthy man she does not love in order to save her family from poverty.

Prejudice

The Jewish immigrants who lived on the Lower East Side also faced prejudice from the non-Jewish population. They were often seen as outsiders and were discriminated against in housing, employment, and education.

In the story "A Ghetto Wedding," a young Jewish couple is forced to hold their wedding in a basement because they are not allowed to use a church or synagogue. In the story "The Pogrom," a group of Jewish immigrants is attacked by a mob of anti-Semites.

Assimilation

The Jewish immigrants who lived on the Lower East Side struggled to assimilate into American culture. They often spoke Yiddish and lived in a close-knit community. However, some immigrants were eager to adopt American ways and to become more like their non-Jewish neighbors.

In the story "The Pushcart Peddler," a young Jewish man named Morris struggles to balance his traditional Jewish values with his desire to become more American. In the story "The Sweat Shop," a group of Jewish immigrants work long hours in a sweatshop in order to save enough money to buy a home in a better neighborhood.

Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto is a powerful and moving collection of stories that provides a glimpse into the lives of Jewish immigrants in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. The stories in this collection explore themes of poverty, prejudice, and the struggle to assimilate into a new culture. They offer a valuable historical perspective on the immigrant experience and the challenges that immigrants have faced throughout history.

Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto

by Abraham Cahan

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1018 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	258 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE