"Real Americans":
The Evolving Identities of American Jews
By Sylvia Barack Fishman

"Real Americans" explores what it means to be an American Jew, illuminating the ongoing encounter of traditional Jewish values and mainstream American society. The films of "Real Americans" document the culture clash between the old country and the new, as, over the last century, Jewish Americans have become one of the most successfully integrated immigrant cultures in the nation.

Introduction

Session 1: Tevye: A Father and His Daughters
Fiddler on the Roof

Session 2: A Mother and Her Sons
Mirele Efros

Session 3: The American Dream
The Jazz Singer

Session 4: North of the Border
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

Session 5: Brooklyn Nostalgia
Brighton Beach Memoirs

Session 6: A Question of Faith
Crimes and Misdeameanors

Session 7: Making it in America
Avalon

Session 8: Wrap-Up

Course Leader Notes