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NATHAN M. KAGANOFF
Rabbinic Literature in the United
States, 1761-1917: A Brief Survey
T
h i s
a r t ic l e
will attempt to describe the major trends and
point out the more significant and unusual works comprising
the various forms o f rabbinic literature that appeared in the
United States from 1761 until 1917. As suggested in an article
that appeared in vol. 43 o f the
Jewish Book Annual,
the term
To rah scholarship might be more appropriate. This study will
be almost exclusively limited to material addressed to an au
dience committed to T o rah study and observance. In some in
stances, works popularly designated as “Jewish scholarship” or
“Jiidische Wissenschaft” would also fall into this area. But gen
erally, the two designations describe material that is quite d if
ferent. We will also not include works produced by non-Jews
or that are essentially addressed to a non-Jewish audience.
Because the size o f the Jewish community in the United States
varied widely over the centuries — from a few thousand at the
beginning o f the 19th century to the world’s largest in the inter-
World War period — it would be natural to assume that the
publication o f rabbinic books would also vary greatly.
To facilitate the presentation o f the material we have divided
the survey into three major periods, each o f which has certain
unique characteristics. These are:
1. From 1761 to 1881, when the mass em igration o f Eastern
European Jews to America began
2. From 1882 to 1917, the high point o f Jewish immigration
to America ending with the entry o f the United States in World
War I
3. 1917 to 1939, the inter-war period
The survey, which covers the first two major periods, will
speak for itself, bu t one general observation is in o rder. The
United States has always been considered a “wasteland” by the
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