TY - GEN N2 - In 1942, YIVO held a contest for the best autobiography by a Jewish immigrant on the theme "Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America." Chosen from over two hundred entries, and translated from Yiddish, the nine life stories in My Future Is in America provide a compelling portrait of American Jewish life in the immigrant generation at the turn of the twentieth century.The writers arrived in America in every decade from the 1890s to the 1920s. They include manual workers, shopkeepers, housewives, communal activists, and professionals who came from all parts of Eastern Europe and ushered in a new era in American Jewish history. In their own words, the immigrant writers convey the complexities of the transition between the Old and New Worlds.An Introduction places the writings in historical and literary context, and annotations explain historical and cultural allusions made by the writers. This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.Published in conjunction with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. DO - 10.18574/nyu/9780814772959.001.0001 DO - doi AB - In 1942, YIVO held a contest for the best autobiography by a Jewish immigrant on the theme "Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America." Chosen from over two hundred entries, and translated from Yiddish, the nine life stories in My Future Is in America provide a compelling portrait of American Jewish life in the immigrant generation at the turn of the twentieth century.The writers arrived in America in every decade from the 1890s to the 1920s. They include manual workers, shopkeepers, housewives, communal activists, and professionals who came from all parts of Eastern Europe and ushered in a new era in American Jewish history. In their own words, the immigrant writers convey the complexities of the transition between the Old and New Worlds.An Introduction places the writings in historical and literary context, and annotations explain historical and cultural allusions made by the writers. This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while at the same time elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.Published in conjunction with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. T1 - My Future Is in America :Autobiographies of Eastern European Jewish Immigrants / AU - Cohen, Jocelyn, AU - Cohen, Jocelyn, AU - Domnitz, Aaron, AU - Fox, Bertha, AU - Goldstein, Minnie, AU - Krone, Shmuel, AU - Kusnetz, Chaim, AU - Kusnetz, Minnie, AU - Reisman, Ben, AU - Schoenfeld, Rose, AU - Silverman, Rose, AU - Soyer, Daniel, AU - Soyer, Daniel, JF - New York University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013 CN - DS135.E89 M9 2006 LA - eng LA - In English. ID - 1480127 KW - Immigrants KW - Jews KW - Jews, East European KW - RELIGION / Judaism / History SN - 9780814772959 TI - My Future Is in America :Autobiographies of Eastern European Jewish Immigrants / LK - https://univsouthin.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780814772959 UR - https://univsouthin.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780814772959 ER -