The history of Jewish migration was partially defined by the peddlers who left their homes in search of a better life. They sold things like jewelry, and house-wares, traveling from town to town and staying in the homes of strangers. Their legacy includes the likes of businesses such as Sears and Levis Strauss.
The history is an expansive one – and one that Hasia Diner, professor of history and Judaic studies at New York University, recently published a book about. It’s called “Roads Taken: The Great Jewish Migrations to the New World and the Peddlers Who Forged the Way.” She will be speaking in Springfield on Saturday and signing books at the Lincoln museum. Diner starts this interview by explaining who exactly these peddlers were:
For a link to more info on the book, click here. For more info about the lecture and book signing, and the exhibit about Lincoln & The Jews at the ALPLM, click here.
