Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies "Too Long, Too Foreign. . . Too Jewish? The Rise, Politics, and Fall of Jewish Name Changing in 20th Century New York”

Our thinking about Jewish name changing tends to focus on clichés: ambitious movie stars who adopted glamorous new names or insensitive Ellis Island officials who changed immigrants' names for them. But as Kirsten Fermaglich will describe, the real story is much more profound.

Scratching below the surface, Fermaglich examines previously unexplored name change petitions to upend the clichés, revealing that in twentieth-century New York City, Jewish name changing was actually a broad-based and voluntary behavior: thousands of ordinary Jewish men, women, and children legally changed their names in order to respond to an upsurge of antisemitism. Rather than trying to escape their heritage or "pass" as non-Jewish, most name-changers remained active members of the Jewish community. While name changing allowed Jewish families to avoid antisemitism and achieve white middle-class status, the practice also created pain within families and became a stigmatized, forgotten aspect of American Jewish culture.

Registration is required at https://fairfield.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jsWMl8r0TbCKJeVX6Te0Tw

Sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies