Join American Jewish historian David Kaufman in a three part Zoom series on the extraordinary story of the Jews of New York City--the greatest urban Jewish center in the history of the Diaspora.  Part I will look at the first century and a half of Jewish life in a rapidly growing city, focusing on the process of Americanization during the Colonial and Revolutionary periods.  Part II explores the century-long wave of immigration and community-building that made New York a 'melting pot' of multiple nationalities including a core Jewish component.  And part III covers the past century of this history, a period of amazing achievement and cultural contribution by New York Jews .  We'll conclude with some consideration of whether that 'golden age' is now over--or not.

David E. Kaufman, your guide for this tour, was born and bred in Brooklyn, New York, and educated at the Bialik Hebrew Day School and the Yeshiva of Flatbush High School. He holds degrees from Columbia College, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Brandeis University. A PhD in American Jewish History, he has taught at numerous colleges such as CUNY, Brown University, University of Massachusetts/Amherst, Hebrew Union College/Los Angeles and Hofstra University. In addition to numerous articles on the social, religious, and architectural history of the American synagogue, Dr. Kaufman has authored two books: Shul with a Pool: The Synagogue-Center in American Jewish History (Brandeis, 1999) and Jewhooing the Sixties: American Celebrity and Jewish Identity (Brandeis, 2012). David currently lives on the Upper West Side and is engaged in public education, researching, writing, and teaching the history of the New York Jewish community.