Beginning with the first Jews who stepped onto North American soil in 1654, Jewish immigrants have come to America to escape persecution and hardship, and to provide a better life for their families. Today, the U.S. boasts the largest Jewish population in the world.

Through insightful prose and 200 dramatic photographs, Jewish Americans: The Immigrant Experience presents the history of Jewish culture and communities in American cities and rural towns. The author explores how the immigrants adjusted to their new lives, blending Jewish traditions with American ideas, and how their presence has contributed dramatically to U.S. politics, art, commerce, finance, industry, and labor.