PBS - They Came for Good, A History of the Jews in the United States

It was the beginning of a new chapter in the story of an ancient civilization. A group of 23 Brazilian Jews landed on Manhattan Island, then the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. Never fully accepted, these Jews and their descendents kept their Jewish identities hidden so as to better mix in their host society. Colonial paintings of upwardly mobile Jews are indistinguishable from those of their Gentile contemporaries. Unwilling to accept second-class citizenship, one of these new Americans, Asher Levy, spent his life fighting for equal rights. Later, The American Revolution galvanized most American Jews into zealous support for the patriotic cause. Present at the Creation also profiles the lives of other important figures including Rebecca Gratz, who become the role model for Jewish women in public service, and Uriah Levy, who fought for equal rights in the U.S. military.
They Came For Good is the first comprehensive series to tell the little known story of 250 years of Jewish immigration in America. From the first Brazilian Jews who landed on Manhattan Island in 1654 through the end of the 19th Century, over 250,000 Jews came to our shores. They Came For Good looks at where they settled, how they adapted, survived and helped shape our country. Thoroughly researched using letters, diaries and documents of the time, the series also brings to light the first Jewish Americans who made significant contributions to American society. Assimilating into this society while maintaining a separate group identity was an issue for Jews from the very beginning, and with our heritage as a nation of immigrants, this story is therefore about all Americans.



I - Present at the Creation (1654-1820)

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http://rapidshare.com/files/272221429/TCFG1.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/272221432/TCFG1.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/272228184/TCFG1.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/272228274/TCFG1.part4.rar

II - Taking Root (1820-1880)

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http://rapidshare.com/files/272228832/TCFG2.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/272235353/TCFG2.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/272235658/TCFG2.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/272242669/TCFG2.part4.rar