My Future Is in America

“Masterful . . . gripping immigrant narratives. A must read for anyone interested in immigration, American history, or the Jewish experience in America.” -- Beth S. Wenger, Katz Family Chair in American Jewish History, University of Pennsylvania

In 1942, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research held a contest for the best autobiography by a Jewish immigrant on the theme “Why I Left the Old Country and What I Have Accomplished in America.” Chosen from over two hundred entries, and translated from Yiddish, the nine life stories in My Future Is in America provide a compelling portrait of American Jewish life at the turn of the twentieth century.

The writers arrived in America in every decade from the 1890s to the 1920s. They include manual workers, shopkeepers, housewives, communal activists, and professionals from all parts of Eastern Europe. In their own words, the immigrant writers convey the complexities of the transition between the Old and New Worlds.

An introduction places the writings in historical and literary context, and annotations explain historical and cultural allusions made by the writers. This unique volume introduces readers to the complex world of Yiddish-speaking immigrants while also elucidating important themes and topics of interest to those in immigration studies, ethnic studies, labor history, and literary studies.

Published in conjunction with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research


“A treasure trove. . . .The masterful translations rendered by Cohen and Soyer capture the lyric, sophisticated and often times profound dimensions of the writers' contributions....belongs in every library collection, where it will update and complement classics like A Bintel Brief and World of Our Fathers—Mark A. Raider,author of American Jewish Womenand the Zionist Enterprise and The Plough Woman: Records of the Pioneer Women of Palestine