The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902
Immigrant Housewives and the Riots That Shook New York City
1 of 1 copy available
2021 Independent Publisher Book Award, Gold Medal Winner
2020 National Jewish Book Award, Finalist
2020 American Book Fest Best Book Awards Finalist in the U.S. History category
2020 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Finalist
In the wee hours of May 15, 1902, three thousand Jewish women quietly took up positions on the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Convinced by the latest jump in the price of kosher meat that they were being gouged, they assembled in squads of five, intent on shutting down every kosher butcher shop in New York's Jewish quarter.
What was conceived as a nonviolent effort did not remain so for long. Customers who crossed the picket lines were heckled and assaulted and their parcels of meat hurled into the gutters. Butchers who remained open were attacked, their windows smashed, stock ruined, equipment destroyed. Brutal blows from police nightsticks sent women to local hospitals and to court. But soon Jewish housewives throughout the area took to the streets in solidarity, while the butchers either shut their doors or had their doors shut for them. The newspapers called it a modern Jewish Boston Tea Party.
The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 tells the twin stories of mostly uneducated women immigrants who discovered their collective consumer power and of the Beef Trust, the midwestern cartel that conspired to keep meat prices high despite efforts by the U.S. government to curtail its nefarious practices. With few resources and little experience but steely determination, this group of women organized themselves into a potent fighting force and, in their first foray into the political arena in their adopted country, successfully challenged powerful, vested corporate interests and set a pattern for future generations to follow.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 1, 2020 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781640124103
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781640124103
- File size: 3781 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 30, 2020
In this latest work, writer and historian Seligman (The Third Degree; The First ChineseAmerican) presents a historical account of the 1902 revolt against kosher meat markets on New York's Lower East Side. Over 3,000 Jewish women protested the rising prices of kosher meat. The action was designed to make a statement and get the desired results: lower prices. Instead, it turned into a confrontational protest where customers who crossed picket lines had their purchases taken away and tossed, butcher shop windows were damaged, and protesters were sent to hospitals because of blows suffered from police nightsticks. The movement spread throughout the city and the result presaged later consumer movements. Throughout the chapters, Seligman describes the world of turn of the century New York, with a focus on the personalities involved such as Ferdinand Sulzberger, president of New York-based meat wholesaler Schwarzschild & Sulzberger as well as Frederick Joseph (1851-1931), Sulzberger's son-in-law and in influential figure at the company. Primary images throughout add historical context. VERDICT Relying on primary source materials, Seligman has created a highly readable and enjoyable account of this little-known episode in American history. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in American history and/or Jewish history, as well as gender and labor studies. --Jacqueline Parascandola, Univ. of Pennsylvania, PA
Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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