Middletown Jews: The Tenuous Survival of an American Jewish Community

by Dan Rottenberg (Editor), Dwight W Hoover (Introduction)

What did it mean to be a Jew in Muncie? Was there discrimination, and what was it like? What sort of people settled in a small Midwestern town? How did they fare? This book addresses these questions through a series of oral narratives. The Jewish experience in Muncie reflects what many similar communities experienced in hundreds of Middletowns across the Midwest.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Indiana University Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for a Jewish History class that I took at IU, taught by one of my very favorite professors, Irving Katz (Sept. 24, 1932 — Jan. 24, 2008). Little did I know that one year later, I'd be working for the publisher of this book! It's a fascinating study of the Jewish experience in Muncie (aka "Middletown"), IN. I was a junior in college when I read it, so it's very accessible. I'd recommend it for students and general readers interested in Jewish history.

[Fearless · Rating 4 out of 5]

next for book club

[joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially interesting to anyone who grew up in Muncie, Indiana.