The American Haskalah: Sanctifying Education in Mary Antin’s The Promised Land, Abraham Cahan’s The Rise of David Levinsky, and Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers

Abstract

Abstract Much has been written about European Jews’ attitudes toward secular studies. The Jewish Enlightenment, which began in Europe in the early eighteenth century, caused some Jews to broaden their knowledge by learning subjects such as geography and science. However, most Eastern European Jews remained loyal to the rabbinical authority. When many immigrated to the United States during the Progressive Era, they had to choose between maintaining the old approach toward secular education and learning secular subjects. Analyzing three Jewish immigrant texts, Mary Antin’s The Promised Land (1912), Abraham Levinsky’s The Rise of David Levinsky (1917), and Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers (1925), this essay argues that these books present Eastern European Jewish immigrants as treating secular education similar to the European maskilim. Exploring Biblical allusions and imagery used to portray Torah learning, this paper determines that these texts sanctify nonreligious studies. Following a centuries-old heritage of learning, they glorify the knowledge obtained in American institutions. Although the protagonists feel they are betraying their tradition, they participate in establishing a Jewish American culture based on the value of studying. While these texts often praise American education, they portray a clash between American and traditional Jewish education, suggesting that disavowing one’s traditional education is challenging.