Shtetl: Myth and Reality

This course explores the small towns ("shtetlekh") where many Eastern European Jews lived before World War II and where many Jewish immigrants to America originated. Our understanding of these towns and their Jewish communities has often come to us through popular culture ("Fiddler on the Roof") and folklore, but this class seeks to move past these romantic myths and uncover what life was really like in these locations. Among the themes we will examine are: how Jews first came to live in these places in the 1500-1700s; the unique economic, social, and religious life they forged; what their relations were like with non-Jewish neighbors; how these communities declined as a result of urbanization, emigration, and the Holocaust; and why the myth of the "shtetl" has remained such a powerful one in Jewish culture until today.

Instructor: Dr. Eric Goldstein