Sunday, December 1, 2013

Don't kvetch. Head to KlezKamp instead.


Each December, KlezKamp manifests in a hotel in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. It's a week long program dedicated to keeping alive the traditional Yiddish language and culture. Participants immerse themselves in the culture and language that were almost decimated by Hilter.

Before World War II, Yiddish was the lingua franca among Central and Eastern European Jews. Klez Camp was founded by musician and scholoar Henry Sapoznik. Now in it's 29th year, KlezKamp attracts some 500 participants,  ensuring that Yiddish folk traditions are passed to the next generation.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Boston's Polish Triangle

Change is inevitable in ethnic neighborhoods. New York's Little Italy is a fraction of what it used to be. Even Harlem, the spiritual heart of Black America, is experiencing broad demographic shifts that leave some wondering what the future holds.

Boston's Polish Triangle is no exception. The neighborhood is situated in a triangle between Boston Street and Dorchester Avenue, hence the name.

It once teemed with Polish immigrants. But younger Polish-Americans are moving to the suburbs, and new immigrants from Asia and Latin America are moving in their place. The neighborhood's population is now barely half Polish, and locals wonder about the future of the struggling Polish American Citizen Club.

We can't stop the impact of immigration, gentrification, and suburbanization. Each generation strives to do better than the one before it. Certainly the children of Polish immigrants worked hard to get an education, earn a decent living, and afford a nicer house with a yard in the suburbs. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Most people don't strive to remain in a multi family triple decker without a driveway if they can afford better.


It's possible for the ethnic flavor that made the Polish Triangle special to remain even if the identity of those moving in is different. Polish-Americans can continue to support the neighborhood's businesses, its' social club, and its Polish Catholic parish, even if they now live in places like Quincy and Braintree. The Polish Triangle remains the symbolic heart of a community that can't be duplicated in a suburban strip mall.


 Home of the Polish American Citizen Club
 Euromart, specializes in Polish and European groceries.

 DJ's Super Market, specializing in Polish food products
Storefront of the closed Boston Street Deli & Market, damaged from a fire in 2010.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

The Egyptian American Population

As political unrest develops in Egypt, we take a look at the largest Egyptian communities in the United States:
 


Egyptian
Population


Egyptians,
as a Percent of Total Population

United States
190,078
1
New Jersey
0.34%
1
California
39,436
2
New York
0.13%
2
New Jersey
29,889
3
Virginia
0.11%
3
New York
25,978
4
California
0.11%
4
Florida
11,616
5
Maryland
0.08%
5
Pennsylvania
9,298
6
Tennessee
0.08%
6
Virginia
8,827
7
Pennsylvania
0.07%
7
Texas
7,244
8
Massachusetts
0.07%
8
Illinois
7,219
9
Florida
0.06%
9
Tennessee
4,829

United States
0.06%
10
North Carolina
4,792
10
Illinois
0.06%
11
Maryland
4,713
11
District of Columbia
0.06%
12
Massachusetts
4,713
12
Minnesota
0.05%
13
Ohio
4,383
13
North Carolina
0.05%
14
Michigan
3,008
14
South Carolina
0.04%
15
Minnesota
2,919
15
West Virginia
0.04%
16
Washington
2,790
16
Washington
0.04%
17
Georgia
2,490
17
Rhode Island
0.04%
18
South Carolina
2,044
18
Connecticut
0.04%
19
Indiana
1,513
19
Ohio
0.04%
20
Arizona
1,425
20
Oregon
0.03%
21
Connecticut
1,361
21
Michigan
0.03%
22
Oregon
1,280
22
Texas
0.03%
23
West Virginia
807
23
Nevada
0.03%
24
Iowa
790
24
Iowa
0.03%
25
Colorado
728
25
Georgia
0.03%
26
Missouri
719
26
Indiana
0.02%
27
Nevada
710
27
Arizona
0.02%
28
Wisconsin
701
28
New Hampshire
0.02%
29
Kansas
472
29
Kansas
0.02%
30
Rhode Island
409
30
Colorado
0.01%
31
Alabama
342
31
Wisconsin
0.01%
32
District of Columbia
334
32
Missouri
0.01%
33
Arkansas
312
33
Arkansas
0.01%
34
New Hampshire
280
34
New Mexico
0.01%
35
Louisiana
221
35
Alabama
0.01%
36
Oklahoma
220
36
Alaska
0.01%
37
New Mexico
209
37
Oklahoma
0.01%
38
Kentucky
91
38
Delaware
0.01%
39
Utah
53
39
Louisiana
0.00%
40
Delaware
52
40
Maine
0.00%
41
Alaska
49
41
Kentucky
0.00%
42
Maine
38
42
Utah
0.00%
43
Nebraska
28
43
Nebraska
0.00%
44
Idaho
0
44
Hawaii
0.00%
45
Hawaii
NA
45
Idaho
0.00%
46
Mississippi
NA
46
Mississippi
0.00%
47
Montana
NA
47
Montana
0.00%
48
North Dakota
NA
48
North Dakota
0.00%
49
South Dakota
NA
49
South Dakota
0.00%
50
Vermont
NA
50
Vermont
0.00%
51
Wyoming
NA
51
Wyoming
0.00%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey
B04006 People Reporting Ancestry, 1 year estimates
C04006 People Reporting Ancestry, 1 year estimates