To be an American or a Jew on Hester Street

The film Hester Street offered viewers an excellent representation of the life of a young immigrant coming to America in the early 1900s. These men and women faced many hardships, such as those one could read about in the Bintl Briv. The characters of this movie, like many of these people, were forced to adapt to a whole new form of living.

The character of Jake seemed to succumb to the Americanization process more quickly and willingly than others. For example, his wife and tenant were more reluctant to give up their traditional Jewish ways of life. His wife was only willing to adapt to the American lifestyle, at her own terms. She was not going to be forced into that lifestyle until she was ready. The same is true for the tenant. He still chose to remain true to his religion and study the Torah.

Lives of these immigrants were very different than the ones they lead back in their homeland. The film represents the struggles many of them faced at this time. Many, like Jake, relinquished their names and even their traditions. They were determined to become Americans, in anyway they could. But it was at the cost of their old traditions. The most heartbreaking scene in the movie was when Jake could not remember how to say the Kaddish for his dead father.