Forward – The Jewish Daily Forward (Forverts) Newspaper: Immigrants, Socialism & Jewish Politics in New York, 1890-1917

This book examines the role the Jewish Daily Forward played during the heyday of Jewish immigration to the United States, from 1897 to 1917. The JDF was a focus point for the ‘Jewish street’, as it dealt with issues of labour and strikes, Zionism and the American-Jewish Committee, and world war – issues that were at the heart of Jewish everyday experience and concern. Although previous research and observation brought to the fore the inevitable policy and viewpoint contradictions expressed throughout its columns, this book is the first critical assessment of this eminent newspaper as its leader writers and columnists engaged with the centenary transition that saw myriad political and social change. The primary motivation for this investigation is the discrepancy between the paper’s declared socialism on the one hand, and the co-operation between Abraham Cahan, JDF’s editor, with the hard-line conservatives such as Jacob Schiff, on the other hand. By following Cahan’s co-operation with the American-Jewish plutocracy, Ehud Manor suggests that the JDF was actually conservative in outlook, rather than progressive. The importance of such an historical account is not only in the uncovering of the checks and balances between different Jewish groups and Jewish polity and media, but also serves as an insight into the mechanism of Jewish modern politics. This book is based on Yiddish sources, the Forverts (JDF) issues, and other primary and secondary material. It is essential reading for all those engaged and interested in modern Jewish history.