A Business Turn in American Jewish Religious History

Abstract

American Jewish history has generally had an eye toward the role of organizations (and the business of those institutions) in its analysis of Judaism and the Jewish community. Still, histories of American Judaism have begun their own recent turn, away from a heavy emphasis on major organizations and their major philanthropists. Scholars have recently begun to more deeply investigate the impact of grassroots initiatives, institutions, and organizations. As this chapter will explore, by integrating social and feminist history, scholars of American Jewish life have begun to draw a more complete picture of lived Judaism in the United States. American Jewish women’s early organizations and philanthropy laid the groundwork for Jewish educational, social service, and health organizations today. This more inclusive view of American Jewish history broadens and deepens the business lens, yielding a richer understanding of almost four centuries of American Judaism and American Jewish life.