The Jewish Americans

300 minutes on 2 DVDs
Source: PBS Video

Using archival materials and interviews, this documentary traces the history of Jewish Americans from their first settlement in 1654 to the present. It is about the struggle of a tiny minority who make their way into the American mainstream while maintaining a sense of thier own identity. Narrated by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it features Jewish Americans who have made significant contributions to all aspects of American life and also tells the story of tailors, shopkeepers, soldiers, civil rights activists, and others. Focusing on the tension between identity and assimilation, this qiuntessentially American story echoes themes familiar to may immigrant groups.