World War II

“From the time of the earliest settlers during the colonial period until today, Jews in America have benefited from one of the most open and tolerant of societies. In fact, American Jews have never felt any tension between their religious and cultural identity and their desire to be accepted in American society.” – Anonymous historian

• World War II was a dramatic turning point in American Jewish history. Explain how and why Jewish life was so different in the period before the war and the period after the war (from 1945 on). How did these shifts ultimately change the central issues of concern to American Jews? In discussing these changes and their impact, be sure to consider all the various dimensions of Jewish life we have discussed: religious, economic, political, and cultural.