We Are Not Boring: The Secret History of Jewish America

🎙 We Are Not Boring: The Secret History of Jewish America Has anyone here seen The Frisco Kid? A Polish rabbi, played by Gene Wilder, is sent to America in the 1800s—only to find that the joke isn’t on him, but on American Jewry itself. Before the Holocaust, Jewish scholarship and intellectualism thrived in Europe, while American Jews were seen as an afterthought, a punchline. But here’s the twist: We built something extraordinary. From the earliest Jewish refugees in New Amsterdam to the birth of America’s powerful Jewish institutions, we forged a unique identity—one that too many of us don’t even realize we have. In this episode, we dive into the secret history of American Jews, the biblical roots of our communal responsibility, and why we are anything but boring. Thanks to Haviv Rettig Gur and his excellent podcast, Ask Haviv Anything, specifically, the second episode titled, The Lost History of American Jews.  🔊 Tune in for an eye-opening journey through the story of us. 💡 Enjoy this podcast? Feeling inspired to make a difference? Support our work at Congregation Shaarei Kodesh—donate here.