Amazing Abe
How Abraham Cahan's Newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A loving tribute to a towering figure in Jewish American history from two award-winning creators.
Two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Norman H. Finkelstein and Sydney Taylor Award winner Vesper Stamper have teamed up to tell the story of Abraham Cahan, the founder and longtime editor of the Yiddish language newspaper the Forverts (the Forward), which, in its heyday, was one of the largest newspapers in the United States. As the saying went: "What's a home without the Forverts?"
From explaining voting rights to the importance of public health measures to everyday questions like how to play baseball, Cahan improved the lives of countless newly arrived Jewish immigrants who wanted to feel at home in a new, strange land. He also published celebrated writers such as Isaac Bashevis Singer and created the iconic advice column the Bintel Brief for homesick readers.
Back matter includes a bibliography, a time line, more info on Cahan's life and the Yiddish language, and a note on the author's personal connection to the Forverts.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This optimistic picture book biography of Lithuanian newspaperman Abraham Cahan (1860–1951) begins with the Yiddish-speaking figure being educated "in the traditional Jewish way, studying Hebrew and the Bible." As he matured and became a teacher, he also got into politics, advocating for mistreated workers oppressed by Czarist rule. Facing retaliation, he joined the "nearly two million other Jews who arrived in the United States from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1914," Finkelstein writes. A factory worker by day, he studied English at night, and reported on the experiences of Jewish immigrants. In 1897, he cofounded Yiddish-language newspaper Forverts, which connected readers with news local and global, and provided practical advice about U.S. life (e.g., explaining baseball to readers). Depicting gentle-faced characters with various skin tones, Stamper's gouache illustrations portray bustling social scenes in this story of community-based success. End notes conclude. Ages 4–8.
