Familiar Strangers - German-Jewish relations in 19th Century America

After the Civil War outbreaks of anti-Jewish animus were only more forceful manifestations of an attitude that had been prevalent in earlier decades. Mostly imported from Europe and providing a link to the old home for many German Americans, antisemitism was eventually modified by the American environment. Sonja Mekel's study offers insights into the transfer and continuation of antisemitism among nineteenth-century German Americans and the ways in which German-American Jews reacted to it. By addressing the conflicts between Germans and Jews in the United States, "Familiar Strangers" challenges the view that both groups saw themselves as members of one people after their emigration.