A new book tells the story of immigration, assimilation, and the personal stories of American Jews episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 17, 2026 · 50 MIN

A new book tells the story of immigration, assimilation, and the personal stories of American Jews

from Connections Podcast · host Evan Dawson

"The Settlement Cook Book" was published in 1901 and quickly became a kind of guidebook for Jews who had come to America. In her new book, "Recipes for the Melting Pot: The Lives of The Settlement Cook Book," author Nora Rubel delivers a story of immigration, culture, and assimilation — all themes deeply relevant today. She tells stories of food, noting that foods tied to Jewish culture (bagels, pickles) were not necessarily Jewish foods in other parts of the world. We discuss the lessons that come from a cookbook that is now 125 years old. In studio:Nora L. Rubel, Ph.D., author of "Recipes for the Melting Pot: The Lives of The Settlement Cook Book," and Elizabeth Denio Professor in the Department of Religion and Classics at the University of Rochester---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding.---Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email, Facebook or Twitter. Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here.---Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 17, 2026

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A new book tells the story of immigration, assimilation, and the personal stories of American Jews

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