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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration to the Golden Land: Jewish Life in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine waves of Jewish immigration during three time periods and analyze a variety of primary sources, including letters, memoirs, and laws, to gain insight into both the American immigrant experience and American society...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration to the Golden Land: Jewish Life in America

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine Jewish life in America. In this social studies lesson, students read the article "We Shall Go to America" which features the experiences of Jewish immigrants in America. Students respond to questions regarding the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children of Loneliness: Immigration and Intergenerational Stories

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students evaluate Anzia Yezierska's story, "Children of Loneliness," in relation to Jewish immigrants coming to America. They discuss the connections in the story to their own coming to America and their roles as parents. After...
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Immigration: Polish/russian

For Students 9th - 10th
A chronicle of Russian and other ethnic immigrants from the Russian empire. Information on their struggles, persecution and achievements in their chosen new land, America.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: From Haven to Home: 350 Years of u.s. Jewish Life

For Students 9th - 10th
This in-depth online exhibit features more than two hundred treasures of American Jewish life from the Library of Congress and other cultural institutions.
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Primary
Other

On the Lower East Side: Observations of Life in Lower Manhattan

For Students 9th - 10th
Links to contemporary essays about life on the Lower East Side of New York City in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These essays cover a range of topics and are well worth exploring to find out what problems writers were exposing...
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Handout
White Pine Pictures

White Pine Pictures: Something From Nothing: The Schumiatcher Saga

For Students 9th - 10th
The Shumiatcher family, Russian Jews who emigrated to Canada in the early 1900's, grew to become successful business owners and professionals. This site outlines their history and details the making of a television documentary.
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Website
US Holocaust Memorial Museum

U.s. Holocaust Memorial Museum: Stories of Holocaust Survivors

For Students 9th - 10th
Stories of six Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the US after World War II.
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Website
Virtual Museum of Canada

Virtual Museum of Canada: Community Stories: Kirkland Lake: A Jewish History

For Students 9th - 10th
The story of the once thriving Jewish community in the mining town of Kirkland Lake is profiled. Eventually the synagogues and businesses declined leaving only the people's stories and archival materials of the time.
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Website
PBS

A Life Apart: Hasidism in America

For Students 9th - 10th
Created to support of PBS documentary, this site can stand alone in its offerings of other resources on Hasidism, clips from video and interviews, and background information on this Eastern European religious community.
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Handout
University of Calgary

Post World War Two and Displaced Persons

For Students 9th - 10th
Resource for learning about Canadian Immigration post WWII. It includes sections on Ideal Immigrants, The Canadian Citizenship Act and Displaced Persons. Although it is in essay form, it is easy to read and includes a few photos.
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Handout
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Jewish Immigration, Popular Culture, the Comic Book

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Using primary source documents students look at Jewish immigration to the United states, popular culture of the time and the birth of the comic book.
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Website
Other

Jews in America: Portal to Jewish American History

For Students 9th - 10th
Complete with music from Aaron Copland, the Center for Jewish History provides an interactive website that traces the history of Jews in the United States from 1654 until today. Authors provide a searchable gallery of photographs,...
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Website
Other

A Perfect Fit: The Garment Industry and American Jewry, 1860 1960

For Students 9th - 10th
Discussion of the role American Jewish immigrants played in the success of the garment industry from Levi Jeans to Florsheim shoes. This exhibition highlights the impact these immigrants had on the world of fashion through images,...