The Wandering Jew in America [Hardcover]

Uzi Rebhun provides the reader with a thorough description and analysis of the multifaceted nature of Jewish internal migration in the United States. Using data from the 1990 and 2000 NJPS, and through up-to-date approaches in the social sciences, he traces changes in the levels, directions, and types of Jewish migration, evaluating the changing social and economic characteristics of the migrants. Finally, Rebhun tests the relationships between migration and Jewish behavior in both the private and public spheres, his findings contributing to the theoretical literature on internal migration and to a better understanding of American ethnicity. The Wandering Jew in America is an excellent resource for students of migration, ethnicity, and sociology of religion, as well as those interested in Jewish life in America. In The Wandering Jew, Uzi Rebhun has presented the definitive work on American Jews' geographic mobility for our time. Although comprehensive and rich with intriguing data analyses, his prose style makes the exploration of this important dimension of Jewish life readily available, acessible, and engaging. He contends not only with the prevailing theories and images of Jewish mobility, but also discerns fascinating changes over time in the patterns of mobility, in the characteristics of movers and stayers, and in the implications of mobility for Jewish identity and community. Uzi Rebhun documents changes in the wanderlust of American Jews up through 2001. His research, grounded in current theoretical frameworks, enables us to consider how Jews are similar to and different from other migrants within the United States. Rebhun concludes that American Jews are characterized by increasing and unusually high spatial mobility, which has resulted in high levels of both individual and institutional dispersion. Rebhun spells out the implications of his findings in terms of theoretical insights and suggested directions for future research, as well as for Jewish communalcv