Coalfield Jews: An Appalachian History

by Deborah R. Weiner

The stories of vibrant eastern European Jewish communities in the Appalachian coalfields

Coalfield Jews explores the intersection of two simultaneous historic events: central Appalachia’s transformative coal boom (1880s-1920), and the mass migration of eastern European Jews to America. Traveling to southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southwestern Virginia to investigate the coal boom’s opportunities, some Jewish immigrants found success as retailers and established numerous small but flourishing Jewish communities.



Deborah R. Weiner’s Coalfield Jews provides the first extended study of Jews in Appalachia, exploring where they settled, how they made their place within a surprisingly receptive dominant culture, how they competed with coal company stores, interacted with their non-Jewish neighbors, and maintained a strong Jewish identity deep in the heart of the Appalachian mountains. To tell this story, Weiner draws on a wide range of primary sources in social, cultural, religious, labor, economic, and regional history.  She also includes moving personal statements, from oral histories as well as archival sources, to create a holistic portrayal of Jewish life that will challenge commonly held views of Appalachia as well as the American Jewish experience.

Genres: History, Religion, Jewish, Nonfiction, Judaism, Research

234 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2006

Reviews

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been so much better! The topic is intrinsically interesting, and the comparisons the author makes between the shtetls these Jews came from, the coal towns where they settled, and the parallel experience of Jews in the Wild West are thought-provoking. The book bogs down in detail, however. It mentions endless individuals and families without bringing any of them to life on the page. I'd suggest reading the introduction and conclusion and skimming the rest.

[Christian Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for understanding the diversity of the Appalachian coalfields. The unbelievable in roads that Jews made in places like Williamson, McDowell County and Beckley are presented interestingly enough not in comparison with the cities jews are typically associated with but rather the boomtowns of the American west. This comparison shifted my understanding of early coalfield life and painted a picture that was closer to places like Colorado or Arizona than the industrial midwest.

[Ilana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book. was dense and a little repetitive like many historical books are. the content i thought was super interesting, learning about how the jewish communities existed in the coal towns and they did so mostly as the merchants for the society. would def recommend to anyone interested in learning about this

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book for this here Jewish Kentucky girl ... especially when I discovered mentions of the Euster family ('mishpachah', relatively speaking). It seems they settled in eastern - not western - Kentucky as my aunt always thought. This led me to confirm by digging up, for starters, the 1920 & 1930 censuses of Pineville, Bell County, southeastern Kentucky. (Yes, I told my aunt.)

[Benny Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and well told history