Out of the Shadow: A Russian Jewish Girlhood on the Lower East Side (Documents in American Social History)

Rating:
Summary: Out of the Shadow
Review: Out of the Shadow, by Rose Cohen, is a book about a pious Russian Jewish family that immigrated to America, after leaving Russia, due to strict unbearable laws that were past by the Czar. The father left Russia in pursuit of a better life in America for his family. As he earned somewhat of a living in America, he sends for his eldest daughter, and his sister, to come and help him make more money so that the family doesn't have to stay in Russia for mush longer. As the twelve-year old Rahel, twenty-one year old Masha and tired father work in America, they soon makes enough money to send traveling tickets to Russia for the rest of the family to come to America. They struggle in America to be happy, accepted, healthy, prosperous and become "Americans." Many drastic changes take place in their first years, and continue throughout the book. The family becomes less pious, but don't forget the Jewish religion completely. Losing their piety was a way of fitting in America. They tried to understand the life in America, and saw that it is very different than their lives in Russia. The family of seven (5 kids and the parents) was not really a family anymore because every family member had their own responsibilities. The kids worked so hard and barely spent any time at home, and begged by their mother not to work on the Sabbath. Rahel and her sister worked in sweatshops, and most of the money they earned was not for them, but for the family, and that was the most important thing. With this money they would buy food, and clothing. The mother came with her children to America to live a better life than they had lived in Russia and expected a lot more money, food, clothing, and happiness in America. Instead they survive with barley any food, money and happiness. I feel that all these changes are very hard to live with, or rather get used to because the family had a different view of life in America and are being let down by their expectations. These changes are rather sad, and discouraging, in my opinion because as I had read this book, I really felt their sorrow, and pain. They also had some happy moments, for example when the whole family was finally together (in America), but those happy moments are rare as the reader reads on in the book. The living style that the family had in America was one very different from Russia because in Russia, their home was with more warmth and even though the father went away to America, the house still felt nice and warm. The family itself had each other and everyone took care of everyone. The grandparents were living with the whole family, and the grandma especially had a very warm personality, I noticed as she talked to her grand-children etc. The mother seemed a lot happier too because she seemed like the family is all that she has and she must keep the house alive and happy for everyone, although she too at times was sad. Russia was undergoing many difficulties, and the Czar made the living standards impossible for some people, including the Jews. The mother and if I may add, the father as well, had many other things on their minds, which would cause for some tears of their own. Even though the log house in Russia, in my opinion seemed warmer (affectionately), it was hard for the family to keep a "warm" and comfortable living environment in America. The family didn't even live in a "better" area! They lived in the ghetto, full of poverty! They wanted a better life, and lived in misery in America! The family was always hungry because they couldn't make enough money to buy enough food and there was so much crying! Not knowing how to read and write was also very hard for the parents, and the kids as well. For immigrants lacking education was not good, and it kept them from getting better jobs in America. America was very different than Russia and since the people were different and the living style was different the family had to fit in by looking like Americans! This was also very hard for Jew's for they were not liked among the other people in their neighborhood. The father had to cut off his beard and his ear locks to look American so that nothing would happen to him as he walked in the streets. The mother was persuaded to take off her head covering so that she wouldn't look old fashioned, and this was a sin. Rahel reminds her mother that the father trims his beard and she answers to Rahel, "Is that why...I too must sin" (Cohen p.154)? In my opinion, they should've just stayed in Russia, and kept their Jewish faith because America is changing them in a bad way. I say this because I feel very strongly about the Jewish faith, that it is very important, and no one/nothing can ever take it away from me, or change who I am. The parents became very dependent on the children in the family for they worked most of the time and they too were the ones that brought home the money. The children would work just as hard as the adults did, but earn less money and were treated differently because of their young ages. When Rahel was a servant, she felt inferior to those who lived better than she did. Children (adults too) were the ones that would keep the family alive, I would say, but also lived the worst lives because they had such back-breaking jobs at the sweatshops etc. "Fourteen hours a day you sit on a chair, often without a back, felling coats. Fourteen hours you sit close to the other feller hand feeling the heat of her body against yours, her breathe on your face. Fourteen hours with your back bent, your eyes close to your work you sit stitching in a dull room often gas light. In the winter during all these hours as you sit stitching your body is numb and cold. In the summer, as far as you are concerned, there might be no sun, no green grass, no soft breezes" (Cohen p. 125). Rahel's family lived during a horrible time and being immigrants was the worst. They became less pious, had extremely difficult jobs and were unhappy most of the time. I really enjoyed reading this book because I felt that as a Jew, I can really relate to this story, aside from the fact it took place during the 1800's. This historical period was very hard, and as I read this book, a tear or two fell. The story was a success at the end, I feel, when the eldest of the two sons was on his way to Cornell University, but aside from that, the family did have an extremely difficult time in America. In my opinion they failed to live a better life, than they had anticipated they would live when they were still in Russia. Out Of the Shadow was definitely, one of the best books that I have read.

Rating:
Summary: Out of the Shadow
Review: Out of the Shadow, by Rose Cohen, is a book about a pious Russian Jewish family that immigrated to America, after leaving Russia, due to strict unbearable laws that were past by the Czar. The father left Russia in pursuit of a better life in America for his family. As he earned somewhat of a living in America, he sends for his eldest daughter, and his sister, to come and help him make more money so that the family doesn't have to stay in Russia for mush longer. As the twelve-year old Rahel, twenty-one year old Masha and tired father work in America, they soon makes enough money to send traveling tickets to Russia for the rest of the family to come to America. They struggle in America to be happy, accepted, healthy, prosperous and become "Americans." Many drastic changes take place in their first years, and continue throughout the book. The family becomes less pious, but don't forget the Jewish religion completely. Losing their piety was a way of fitting in America. They tried to understand the life in America, and saw that it is very different than their lives in Russia. The family of seven (5 kids and the parents) was not really a family anymore because every family member had their own responsibilities. The kids worked so hard and barely spent any time at home, and begged by their mother not to work on the Sabbath. Rahel and her sister worked in sweatshops, and most of the money they earned was not for them, but for the family, and that was the most important thing. With this money they would buy food, and clothing. The mother came with her children to America to live a better life than they had lived in Russia and expected a lot more money, food, clothing, and happiness in America. Instead they survive with barley any food, money and happiness. I feel that all these changes are very hard to live with, or rather get used to because the family had a different view of life in America and are being let down by their expectations. These changes are rather sad, and discouraging, in my opinion because as I had read this book, I really felt their sorrow, and pain. They also had some happy moments, for example when the whole family was finally together (in America), but those happy moments are rare as the reader reads on in the book. The living style that the family had in America was one very different from Russia because in Russia, their home was with more warmth and even though the father went away to America, the house still felt nice and warm. The family itself had each other and everyone took care of everyone. The grandparents were living with the whole family, and the grandma especially had a very warm personality, I noticed as she talked to her grand-children etc. The mother seemed a lot happier too because she seemed like the family is all that she has and she must keep the house alive and happy for everyone, although she too at times was sad. Russia was undergoing many difficulties, and the Czar made the living standards impossible for some people, including the Jews. The mother and if I may add, the father as well, had many other things on their minds, which would cause for some tears of their own. Even though the log house in Russia, in my opinion seemed warmer (affectionately), it was hard for the family to keep a "warm" and comfortable living environment in America. The family didn't even live in a "better" area! They lived in the ghetto, full of poverty! They wanted a better life, and lived in misery in America! The family was always hungry because they couldn't make enough money to buy enough food and there was so much crying! Not knowing how to read and write was also very hard for the parents, and the kids as well. For immigrants lacking education was not good, and it kept them from getting better jobs in America. America was very different than Russia and since the people were different and the living style was different the family had to fit in by looking like Americans! This was also very hard for Jew's for they were not liked among the other people in their neighborhood. The father had to cut off his beard and his ear locks to look American so that nothing would happen to him as he walked in the streets. The mother was persuaded to take off her head covering so that she wouldn't look old fashioned, and this was a sin. Rahel reminds her mother that the father trims his beard and she answers to Rahel, "Is that why...I too must sin" (Cohen p.154)? In my opinion, they should've just stayed in Russia, and kept their Jewish faith because America is changing them in a bad way. I say this because I feel very strongly about the Jewish faith, that it is very important, and no one/nothing can ever take it away from me, or change who I am. The parents became very dependent on the children in the family for they worked most of the time and they too were the ones that brought home the money. The children would work just as hard as the adults did, but earn less money and were treated differently because of their young ages. When Rahel was a servant, she felt inferior to those who lived better than she did. Children (adults too) were the ones that would keep the family alive, I would say, but also lived the worst lives because they had such back-breaking jobs at the sweatshops etc. "Fourteen hours a day you sit on a chair, often without a back, felling coats. Fourteen hours you sit close to the other feller hand feeling the heat of her body against yours, her breathe on your face. Fourteen hours with your back bent, your eyes close to your work you sit stitching in a dull room often gas light. In the winter during all these hours as you sit stitching your body is numb and cold. In the summer, as far as you are concerned, there might be no sun, no green grass, no soft breezes" (Cohen p. 125). Rahel's family lived during a horrible time and being immigrants was the worst. They became less pious, had extremely difficult jobs and were unhappy most of the time. I really enjoyed reading this book because I felt that as a Jew, I can really relate to this story, aside from the fact it took place during the 1800's. This historical period was very hard, and as I read this book, a tear or two fell. The story was a success at the end, I feel, when the eldest of the two sons was on his way to Cornell University, but aside from that, the family did have an extremely difficult time in America. In my opinion they failed to live a better life, than they had anticipated they would live when they were still in Russia. Out Of the Shadow was definitely, one of the best books that I have read.