Background
Rockaway, Robert Allen was born on January 27, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Arrived in Israel, 1971. Son of Jack and Betty (Kaluzny) Rockaway.
( Robert Rockaway's study begins with the arrival of the ...)
Robert Rockaway's study begins with the arrival of the first Jews in Detroit, when the city was a remote frontier outpost. He chronicles the immigration of the German Jews beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, followed by the influx of Jews from Eastern Europe. His narrative concludes on the eve of World War I, by which time the community had developed its basic social structure. It had survived the turbulent years of immigration and the process of Americanization, and had succeeded in establishing several congregations, charitable organizations, and social and cultural foundations. Rockaway relates the story of Detroit's Jews to the larger context of American ethnicity and immigration. He compares the Jewish economic and social evolution with that of other Detroit ethnic groups and of other American Jewish communities. Thus, the arrival of the German Jews is presented as part of the broader wave of immigration from Germany, where Jews were suffering increasingly restrictive social and economic sanctions. Upon their arrival in Detroit, the German Jews quickly established themselves and moved into the mainstream of the city's life. Transitions for the Eastern European Jews were not as easy. They were divided among themselves due to ethnic differences, disagreements about rituals, as well as personal idiosyncracies. In addition, class, cultural, and religious differences separated the German Jews from the Eastern Europeans. Many, victims of pogroms, arrived destitute and, consequently, put great strains on the established Jewish community as it tried to support the new immigrants. The large number of new Jewish immigrants also stirred anti-Semitic feelings in the city, making assimilation more difficult. During the period under study, Detroit's Jews suffered almost total exclusion in the social sphere, despite significant gains in the economic and civic arenas. Detroit's social elite remained almost totally Anglo-Saxon and Protestant. Nevertheless, through work and unflagging determination, they rose to solid economic status. At the same time, they maintained their identity while participating in Detroit's civic, political, and cultural life.
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( A fascinating collection of true stories about men whose...)
A fascinating collection of true stories about men whose lives stood in stark contrast to their heritage of integrity and devotion. Except for one thing: They were all good to their mothers, meaning they were bad, but not always and in every way. As vicious as their criminal history was, the men featured in this book were not one-dimensional persons. Within these pages, we'll have an opportunity to pull back the curtain and see both sides of how these gangster celebrities lived. These men viewed their criminal enterprises as business, not evil. Beginning with the legendary Arnold Rothstein, we will tag along with Dutch Schultz, Bugsy Siegel, and Meyer Lansky to name a few. In But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters you will be introduced to: • Arnold Rothstein, the original organized crime mastermind. • Irving Wexler, better known as Waxey Gordon. • Arthur Dutch Schultz Flegenheimer, Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, and Meyer Lansky, who along with Waxey Gordon were the original New York bootlegger moguls. • The Cleveland Four Morris Moe Dalitz, Morris Kleinman, Sam Tucker and Louis Rothkopf. • Al Capone's strategy and financial advisor, Jack "Greasy Thumb" Guzlik • The "Purple Gang" of the Detroit mob. You'll also be introduced to the history of Jewish involvement in crime in the United States going back into the 19th century. This will include: • The immigration of German Jews to increase the population and the early crime history of the mid-1800s. • The perils and pitfalls of the gangster life (including humorous incidents). • The "hit parade" of murderous contract and personal killings, mostly among their own circle by professional "hit men." • The rigid family code of ethics that influenced even the worst among the gangsters. • How some of these gangsters used their power to protect the Jewish community from attacks by others.
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(American Jewish leaders, many of German extraction, creat...)
American Jewish leaders, many of German extraction, created the Industrial Removal Office (IRO) in 1901 in order to disperse unemployed Jewish immigrants from New York City to smaller Jewish communities throughout the United States. The IRO was designed to help refugees from persecution in the Pale of Russia find jobs and community support and, secondarily, to reduce the Manhattan ghettoes and minimize antisemitism. In twenty-one years, the IRO distributed seventy-nine thousand East European Jews to over fifteen hundred cities and towns, including Chino, California; Des Moines, Iowa; and Pensacola, Florida. Wherever they went, these twice-displaced immigrants wrote letters to the IRO's main office. Robert A. Rockaway has selected, and translated from Yiddish, letters that describe the immigrants' new surroundings, work conditions, and living situations, as well as letters that give voice to typical tensions between the immigrants and their benefactors. Rockaway introduces the letters with an essay on conditions in the Pale and on early American Jewish attempts to assist emigrants.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801485509/?tag=2022091-20
history professor consultant researcher
Rockaway, Robert Allen was born on January 27, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Arrived in Israel, 1971. Son of Jack and Betty (Kaluzny) Rockaway.
AB, Wayne State University, 1961. Master of Arts, University Michigan, 1962. Doctor of Philosophy, University Michigan, 1970.
Teaching fellow University Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1964-1967. Assistant professor University Texas, El Paso, 1970-1971. Lecturer Tel Aviv University, Israel, 1971-1974, senior lecturer Israel, 1974—1997, associate professor Israel, 1997—2007.
Professor emeritus, 2007. Visiting scholar Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1975-1976, Syrcuse University, 1989. Geo. Washington University, 2004-2005.
Adjunct associate professor Boston University, 1975-1976. Consultant Beth Hatefutsoth Museum of Diaspora, Tel-Aviv, 1974-1990. Distinguished visiting professor Lipinsky Institute Judaic Studies, San Diego State University, 1986-1987.
(American Jewish leaders, many of German extraction, creat...)
( A fascinating collection of true stories about men whose...)
( Robert Rockaway's study begins with the arrival of the ...)
Chairman committee on overseas student problems Israel Council for Higher Education, Jerusalem, 1978. Member Israel Association American Studies (president 1982-1984, 87-89), American History Association, Organization American Historians, Association Jewish Studies, Immigration and Ethnic History Society, World Union Jewish Studies, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Phi Alpha Theta.
Married Batya Mirzoeff, January 27,1976 (divorced 1994). Children: Eytan Nahum, Shiran Devorah.