1864 - A Feast of American Jewish Short Stories (Bert, Jill Parks, Molly Hollcomb)
Course Description
Jewish American writing was born from a distinctive historical moment: the massive Eastern European Jewish immigration of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At first Jewish writers focused on the immigrant struggle—poverty, language barriers, generational conflict, and the effort to preserve identity while navigating American modernity. But as these immigrants’ children and grandchildren moved into mainstream society, Jewish literature changed. Writers began to blend Yiddish-inflected sensibilities with American themes, voices, and settings. In this class we will look at writers such as Saul Bellow, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Sholom Aleichem, Bernard Malamud, Philip Roth, Grace Paley, Tillie Olsen, and others. Bellow brought philosophical depth and exuberant language; Singer and Sholom Aleichem preserved mysticism and folklore; Malamud infused everyday hardship with moral parable; Roth dramatized the tensions of identity and rebellion; Paley and Olsen gave voice to women, communities, and the overlooked. Together they show how Jewish storytelling moved from the immigrant enclaves into the mainstream, becoming an essential part of the American literary experience. Join us as we delve into these stories and discover why they are still loved today.
Jill Fein Parks earned her BA in Sociology from UC Berkeley and taught in public schools before becoming the first female switchman for Southern Pacific Railroad. A longtime activist for women’s rights and former candidate for U.S. Senate (1986), she later worked as an HR Manager at Kaiser Permanente and now teaches regularly at OLLI, where she also co-leads a book club.
Bert Parks is an Atlanta native, civil rights participant, and longtime literature instructor. He completed graduate work at Georgia State and NYU (dissertation on Saul Bellow), has taught at Georgia State, NYU, and Morehouse, sold an original screenplay, and has led more than 30 courses at OLLI since 2007.
Molly Holcombe is a lifelong reader with a special interest in American and Jewish literature. She holds advanced graduate training in English and has worked in writing, editing, and education throughout her career. A longtime OLLI member and class participant, she now co-teaches literature courses with Jill and Bert Parks and enjoys guiding lively discussions that bring stories to life.
Course Outline
Recommended Text (optional):
American Jewish Fiction edited by Gerald Shapiro
Materials:
We will send out the stories each week electronically. All the selected stories cannot be found in one book, although many are contained in American Jewish Fiction.