RADIO AND THE JEWS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF HOW RADIO INFLUENCED AMERICA'S IMAGE OF JEWS, 1920s-1950s
by David S. Siegel and Susan Siegel
From stereotypes to role models, the first comprehensive look at how Jews were portrayed on radio from the 1920s to the 1950s.
-- From struggling immigrants to prominent men and women who were recognized for their significant contributions in their chosen fields.
-- From comedic characters who made a nation laugh to more serious ones who brought comfort and reassurance to generations of listeners.
Travel back in time as Radio and the Jews examines over 100 programs that featured Jewish themes and/or characters. The very first book that takes an in-depth look at the Jewish image across all program genres.
Journal of Radio & Audio Media, Vol 16, #2, November, 2009
The Siegels have written a serious book and have made a respectable but occasionally flawed attempt at presenting their story in a work that will be of interest not only to professional radio historians but to serious readers interested in broadcasting or Jewish history.
American Jewish History, Vol 94, #1-2, March-June 2008
The book explores the way popular radio programs addresssed themes that have long been of interest to scholars of American Jewish history, including Jewish stereotypes, assimilation, antisemitism, and American Jewish response to Nazi Germany. . . Radio and the Jews is filled with useful background material about the actors, writers, sponsors, and networks responsible for the many programs, famous and obscure, that included Jewish representations.
Jewish Book World
The Siegels put their encyclopedic knowledge of the Golden Age of Radio to good use. Their study brings together virtually every significant mention of Jews in popular radio programs from 1920 to 1960. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of how popular culture both reflected and shaped public perceptions of who and what Jews were, at once contributing to and battling anti-Semitism and intolerance. . . A valuable work for the vast majority of us who have no direct memory of the Golden Age of Radio.
