“Letters to the Editor and the Construction of the Jewish-American Community in Early 20th Century New York”

The “Bintel Brief” was a part of the Jewish Daily Forward, a Yiddish-language daily newspaper founded in 1897 and run by Abraham Cahan. The “Bintel Brief” (literally, “a bundle of letters”) was a forum where people could write for advice, to express an opinion, or simply to tell their (often tragic) experiences. The Editor would respond, offering counsel, practical advice, sympathy, etc. Devoted to workers rights, trade unionism, and democratic socialism, The “Bintel Brief” provided practical advice and a sympathetic ear, but also an ideological framework for the experiences and problems of immigrants, giving these private experiences a public significance and meaning by inscribing them in …