The history of Jews in America is traditionally a history of Jews in New York. Yet many Jews bypassed the Lower East Side completely--coming to America through San Francisco or the port of Galveston, Texas--and forged communities and identities as ranchers, miners, merchants, and cowboys. One even became chief of an Indian tribe.
First published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, Jewish Life in the American West includes a compelling selection of photographs and other illustrations. The art and essays together yield a volume that explores not only the impact of Jews on the West, but the West's impact on American Jews.