Journals and Memoirs of Migrants to America: Creating a Bridge between Two Continents

Journals and memoirs written by migrants, a majority of men are a way of regarding oneself to one’s experience and one’s daily life. It is a means of drawing the line in order to be able to connect two periods of life together : before and after the migration. The language and the period of time of the memoir are also to be considered because it is a way of revealing the process of the accomodation of the migrant. It is often written in English with a lot of expressions in German or Yiddish. It might be written in the original language of the emigrant. The document is also a means of comprehension in order to overcome the differences between the old and the new country. It can be used as a landmark for the different steps the emigrant is confronted to. [ More ... ]

Languages, Ways of Cooking and Religion: French Inspiration, Jewish Rites and Creole Practices

For ethnologists, the cuisine is the expression of cultural history and identity, communication and performance. Foodways show how the Southern Jewish communities choose to express diverse cultural roots. [ More ... ]

Enjoy reading my book in English :

From the Banks of the Rhine to the Banks of the Mississippi : The History of Jewish Immigrants and Their Individual Stories, translated from the French by Catherine Temerson, published by Janaway Publishing, Inc, 2014. [ More ... ]

Mercy on Rude Streams : Jewish Emigrants from Alsace-Lorraine to the Lower Mississippi Region and the Concept of Fidelity.

Can an act of implied rejection actually be an act of affirmation? Is it possible to remain faithful to one’s country by leaving it? In the mid to late nineteenth century, Jews left the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine in eastern France and emigrated to the American South, particularly to the area along the Mississippi river. At least one wave of emigration. [ More ...]

Enemies abroad, Friends in the United States : Jewish Diaspora from Alsace-Lorraine vs. Jewish Diaspora From Germany, 19th century-20th century.

The study of Diasporas is confronted with national issues. Here are two nations German and French which are on process of construction and are facing each other along the border. From a socio-historical perspective, I observe how Jewish Diasporas which are supposed to be transnational are faced with national phenomenon. [ More ...]

Leaving Alsace Lorraine and Blending into Louisiana : The Issue of Belonging and Loyalty To Host and Home Countries.

The essentially rural, Jewish migration away from Alsace-Lorraine towards the United States has to be put into the context of the massive European nineteenth immigration to the United States, mainly Italian, German and Russian immigration. French immigration to America at the same period was of much less importance. The main departures were located in the Southwest (pays basque), southeast (Alps) and East of France (Alsace-Lorraine). As far as the Alsace-Lorraine immigration is concerned, it is clearly divided into two main successive waves: 1815-1860 and 1880-1930. [ More ...]

Listen to two presentations I gave during the International Jewish Genealogy Conference held from the 14th to 19 August 2011 in Washington :

French-Jewish communities along the Mississippi River and the issue of belonging

Refer to the video from Library of Congress, Washington DC :
The Long Presence of French and German Immigrants on the Mississippi. 2010