Summary of Stephen Birmingham's The Grandees

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Dr. Stern’s book, which was published in 1924, made it clear that there was a difference between the old, established Jewish families and the Johnny-come-lately arrivals. The book emphasized a distinction between the old, established Jewish families and the Johnny-come-lately arrivals.

#2 The Book made it clear that there were two types of Lazaruses: the old, who include the poet Emma Lazarus, and the new, who include the wealthy owners of Federated Department Stores.

#3 The Book of Americans is a cross-reference to The Social Register, as whenever names are listed in the Book, they are also listed in the Register. But the Book provides much more personal and gossipy information than The Social Register.

#4 The Jewish community in America has been losing members as more and more Sephardic Jews turn away from Judaism and convert to Christianity. The Book also shows that prior to 1840, more than 15 percent of marriages were between Jews and Christians, and that of the total number of mixed marriages only 8 percent involved the conversion of the non-Jew to Judaism.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822564428

IRB Media

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Insights on Stephen Birmingham's The Grandees

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 19

Insights from Chapter 20

Insights from Chapter 21

Insights from Chapter 22

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Dr. Stern’s book, which was published in 1924, made it clear that there was a difference between the old, established Jewish families and the Johnny-come-lately arrivals. The book emphasized a distinction between the old, established Jewish families and the Johnny-come-lately arrivals.

#2

The Book made it clear that there were two types of Lazaruses: the old, who include the poet Emma Lazarus, and the new, who include the wealthy owners of Federated Department Stores.

#3

The Book of Americans is a cross-reference to The Social Register, as whenever names are listed in the Book, they are also listed in the Register. But the Book provides much more personal and gossipy information than The Social Register.

#4

The Jewish community in America has been losing members as more and more Sephardic Jews turn away from Judaism and convert to Christianity. The Book also shows that prior to 1840, more than 15 percent of marriages were between Jews and Christians, and that of the total number of mixed marriages only 8 percent involved the conversion of the non-Jew to Judaism.

#5

The processes of Germanization and Christianization have not been complete. The old Sephardic families continue to compose a tight-knit, aristocratic, and proud elite who know who is one of us and who is not.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The Sephardic community is a lively place, with everyone claiming to be an expert on the past. There are many claimants for the same ancestors, and everyone must be on their toes.

#2

The Nathan family has been prominent in New York for nearly two thousand years. They have never been poor, and they have always had a close family environment.

#3

The Nathan family had a history of being proud of their Jewish heritage, and they passed that on to their children. They would tell stories about their ancestors, who had flourished in Spain and Portugal during the Moorish period, and who had struggled to survive after the Catholic Reconquest.

#4

The Nathans and the Hendrickses are two of New York’s oldest families. The Nathans are Spanish, and the Hendrickses are American. They both have antiques and family treasures in porcelain, old books, and heavy antique silver.

#5

The Hendricks family were