About This Lesson
This lesson uses primary sources, letters from the Jewish Daily Forward's early 20th-century advice column called the Bintel Brief, to explore immigration to the US in the past and make connections to today. The letters record the ordinary stories and dilemmas of newcomers making their way in a new land. While many of the details are grounded in the context of Jewish immigration in early 20th century New York, the letters raise universal questions about integration, assimilation, and acculturation, themes as timely now as they were when they were written.
