A Fortress in Brooklyn

Last updated
A Fortress in Brooklyn
Fortress in Brooklyn cover.jpg
Book cover, first edition
Author Nathaniel Deutsch, Michael Casper
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Yale University Press
Publication date
11 May 2021
ISBN 978-0300231090

A Fortress in Brooklyn: Race, Real Estate, and the Making of Hasidic Williamsburg is a nonfiction book by Jewish studies professor Nathaniel Deutsch and historian Michael Casper, published by Yale University Press in May, 2021. [1] It has been favorably reviewed in NYBooks , [2] The Jewish News of Northern California , [3] and The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. [4]

Contents

Contents

The 391-page book minutiously chronicles the history of the Yiddish speaking community of Williamsburg (Brooklyn, NY): its stringent inception in the post World War II years by a wave of Hasidic Jew immigration originated from Eastern European shtetls, its contentious relations with neighboring African American and Puerto Rican communities, and its partly reluctant but progressive gentrification by the forces of commerce and urban development. The narrative covers historic, racial, sociological, political, urbanistic, and emotional aspects.

Critique

Critics from various sources encounter the book "persuasive" (Samuel Stein, Jewish Currents , 2021). [5] "fascinating" (Zalman Newfield, New Books Network), [6] or "delightful, compelling, interesting" (Bennet Baumer, The Indypendent). [7] Ben Rothke ( The Times of Israel ) praised its "spellbinding narrative", [8] while Gabe S. Tennen (Gothan Center) referred to the book as "detailed, crisply written, a caveat to nearly fifty years of scholarship". [9]

Awards

The book won the 71st National Jewish Book Awards in American Jewish Studies (2022) given by the Jewish Book Council, in recognition to the "impressive training, sensitivity and scholarly style" distinguishing the authors. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zalman Schachter-Shalomi</span> American writer and activist, Jewish Renewal movement pioneer

Meshullam Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, commonly called "Reb Zalman", was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement and an innovator in ecumenical dialogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chabad</span> Hasidic Jewish movement

Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch, is a branch of Orthodox Judaism, originating from Eastern Europe and one of the largest Hasidic dynasties. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups as well as one of the largest Jewish religious organizations in the world. Unlike most Haredi groups, which are self-segregating, Chabad mainly operates in the wider world and it caters to secularized Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shneur Zalman of Liadi</span> Hasidic rabbi and first rebbe of Chabad

Shneur Zalman of Liadi was a rabbi and the founder and first Rebbe of Chabad, a branch of Hasidic Judaism. He wrote many works, and is best known for Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Tanya, and his Siddur Torah Or compiled according to the Nusach Ari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satmar</span> Romanian Hasidic dynasty

Satmar is a Hasidic group founded in 1905 by Grand Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum (1887–1979), in the city of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary. The group is an offshoot of the Sighet Hasidic dynasty. Following World War II, it was re-established in New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough Park, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Borough Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, Kensington and Green-Wood Cemetery to the northeast, Flatbush to the east, and Mapleton to the southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamsburg, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independent city until 1855, when it was annexed by Brooklyn; at that time, the spelling was changed from Williamsburgh to Williamsburg.

African-American Jews are people who are both African American and Jewish. African-American Jews may be either Jewish from birth or converts to Judaism. Many African-American Jews are of mixed heritage, having both non-Jewish African-American and non-Black Jewish ancestors. Many African-American Jews identify as Jews of color, but some do not. Black Jews from Africa, such as the Beta Israel from Ethiopia, may or may not identify as African-American Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moshe Teitelbaum (Satmar)</span> Hasidic rabbi

Moshe (Moses) Teitelbaum was a Hasidic rebbe and the world leader of the Satmar Hasidim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Teitelbaum</span> One of the two Grand Rebbes of Satmar

Aaron Teitelbaum is one of the two Grand Rebbes of Satmar, and the chief rabbi of the Satmar community in Kiryas Joel, New York.

Nathaniel Deutsch is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he holds the Baumgarten Endowed Chair in Jewish Studies. He is also the Director of the Center for Jewish Studies and the Director of the Humanities Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Hooper Street, Brooklyn)</span> Hasidic synagogue in Brooklyn, New York

Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar is a large Satmar Hasidic synagogue located at Kent Avenue and Hooper Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States.

Siget or Ujhel-Siget or Sighet Hasidism, or Sigter Hasidim, is a movement of Hungarian Haredi Jews who adhere to Hasidism, and who are referred to as Sigeter Hasidim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chabad philosophy</span> Teachings of the leaders of Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement in Judaism

Chabad philosophy comprises the teachings of the leaders of Chabad-Lubavitch, a Hasidic movement. Chabad Hasidic philosophy focuses on religious concepts such as God, the soul, and the meaning of the Jewish commandments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaim Deutsch</span> American politician

Chaim M. Deutsch is an American politician who served as a New York City Council Member for the 48th district from 2014 to 2021. He is a Democrat. The district includes Brighton Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Midwood, Plum Beach, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. He was expelled from City Council after his guilty plea to charges of tax fraud in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zalman I. Posner</span> American rabbi and writer

Rabbi Zalman I. Posner was an American rabbi and writer associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. Posner served as a congregational rabbi and community leader in the American Southeast for five decades, serving the Orthodox congregation Sherith Israel and founding an Orthodox Day School both in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abby Stein</span> American author, rabbi, activist speaker

Abby Chava Stein is an Israeli-American transgender author, rabbi, activist, blogger, model, and speaker. She is the first openly transgender woman raised in a Hasidic community, and is a direct descendant of Hasidic Judaism's founder, the Baal Shem Tov. In 2015, she founded one of the first support groups nationwide for trans people with an Orthodox Jewish background who have left Orthodox Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Freier</span> American judge and community activist

Rachel "Ruchie" Freier is a New York Supreme Court justice.

<i>Boychiks in the Hood</i> 1995 book by Robert Eisenberg

Boychiks in the Hood is a 1995 memoir by Robert Eisenberg that chronicles Eisenberg's travels around the world visiting different Hasidic communities. Einsenberg wrote the memoir as a way to explore communities where Yiddish was the first language spoken among all generations. It is widely recognized as a reputable source for information on Hasidic life.

Anabaptists and Jews have had interactions for several centuries, since the origins of Anabaptism in the Radical Reformation in early modern Europe. Due to the insularity of many Anabaptist and Jewish communities, Anabaptist–Jewish relations have historically been limited but there are notable examples of interactions between Anabaptists and Jews. Due to some similarities in dress, culture, and language, Amish and Mennonite communities in particular have often been compared and contrasted to Haredi and Hasidic Jewish communities.

Unorthodox is a German drama television miniseries that debuted on Netflix on March 26, 2020. The first Netflix series to be primarily in Yiddish, it is inspired by Deborah Feldman's 2012 autobiography, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots. The four-part miniseries was created and written by Anna Winger and Alexa Karolinski, and directed by Maria Schrader.

References

  1. Deutsch, Nathaniel (2021). A fortress in Brooklyn : race, real estate, and the making of Hasidic Williamsburg. Michael Casper. New Haven. ISBN   978-0-300-25837-0. OCLC   1249952996.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Harris, Lis. "Strangers in a Strange Land | Lis Harris". ISSN   0028-7504 . Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  3. "Bay Area writers recognized in National Jewish Book Awards". J. 2022-01-20. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  4. Hanau, Shira (June 9, 2021). "In Brooklyn's Hipster Williamsburg Neighborhood, Hasidic Jews are the Real Counterculture". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  5. Stein, Samuel (November 23, 2021). "The Making of Satmar Williamsburg". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  6. Newfield, Zalman (October 15, 2021). "Nathaniel Deutsch and Michael Casper, "A Fortress in Brooklyn: Race,…". New Books Network. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  7. "The Story of Hasidic Vilyamsburg" . Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  8. "Book review – A Fortress in Brooklyn". blogs.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  9. "Did All Jews Become White Folks?: A Fortress in Brooklyn and Hasidic Williamsburg". The Gotham Center for New York City History. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  10. "71st Jewish Book Awards Celebration - National Book Council". www.jewishbookcouncil.org. Retrieved 2022-05-23.