The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 - by Scott D Seligman

About the Book

The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 recounts the inspiring story of immigrant women and the dramatic and effective mass consumer action they launched in turn-of-the-century New York City.

Book Synopsis

2020-21 Reader Views Literary Award, Gold Medal Winner
2021 Independent Publisher Book Award, Gold Medal Winner
2020 National Jewish Book Award, Finalist
2020 American Book Fest Best Book Awards Finalist in the U.S. History category
2020 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Finalist

In the wee hours of May 15, 1902, three thousand Jewish women quietly took up positions on the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Convinced by the latest jump in the price of kosher meat that they were being gouged, they assembled in squads of five, intent on shutting down every kosher butcher shop in New York's Jewish quarter.

What was conceived as a nonviolent effort did not remain so for long. Customers who crossed the picket lines were heckled and assaulted and their parcels of meat hurled into the gutters. Butchers who remained open were attacked, their windows smashed, stock ruined, equipment destroyed. Brutal blows from police nightsticks sent women to local hospitals and to court. But soon Jewish housewives throughout the area took to the streets in solidarity, while the butchers either shut their doors or had their doors shut for them. The newspapers called it a modern Jewish Boston Tea Party.

The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 tells the twin stories of mostly uneducated women immigrants who discovered their collective consumer power and of the Beef Trust, the midwestern cartel that conspired to keep meat prices high despite efforts by the U.S. government to curtail its nefarious practices. With few resources and little experience but steely determination, this group of women organized themselves into a potent fighting force and, in their first foray into the political arena in their adopted country, successfully challenged powerful, vested corporate interests and set a pattern for future generations to follow.

Review Quotes

"Seligman's fascinating account makes use of Yiddish sources to provide fresh insights into the history of immigrant working-class Jews in America."--Susan R. Breitzer, Journal of American History

"Seligman's compelling book is, first and foremost, a master class in historical storytelling. . . . A welcome contribution to Jewish historical literature that both general and academic readers would enjoy, and that would prove an excellent addition to an undergraduate syllabus on gender studies, women's history, labor history, or the history of New York."--Hannah Zaves-Greene, American Jewish Archives Journal

"Seligman's well-researched book offers a valuable window into the emergence of direct-action protest among immigrant women on Manhattan's Lower East Side. In defending their families' interests, the women boycotters displayed a high degree of intelligence, boldness, and militancy that set a new standard for activism among working-class women."--Gerald W. McFarland, CLCJ Books

"A well-written narrative history, this will appeal to historians and social scientists as well as general readers interested in a powerful but little-known community action program."--D. R. Jamieson, Choice-- (8/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"This is a unique book certainly worth reading."--Burton Boxerman, St. Louis Jewish Light-- (4/30/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"The trau­mat­ic, sig­nif­i­cant events of The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 form a tale well worth remembering."--Ira Wolf­man, Jewish Book Council-- (3/26/2021 12:00:00 AM)

"The story featured in The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902 resonates in contemporary times when women--and men--take to the streets to protest injustice, much as Rose Baskin did in 1902. Seligman writes easy-to-read prose, making this book perfect for scholars and non-scholars to appreciate his research. Its introductory timeline and its list of those connected to the strike made it easy to keep track of the events and the people involved. Anyone interested in life on the Lower East Side during the turn of the last century, Jewish women's history or Jewish immigrant life will enjoy learning about this intriguing episode of Jewish American history."--Rabbi Rachel Esserman, Reporter

"Relying on primary source materials, Seligman has created a highly readable and enjoyable account of this little-known episode in American history. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in American history and Jewish history, as well as gender and labor studies."--Library Journal, starred review-- (10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"Scott D. Seligman's new book The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902: Immigrant Housewives and the Riots That Shook New York City (Potomac Books, 2020) is a full account of the Great Kosher Meat War of 1902, a milestone in the history of Jewish-American women."--New York Almanack-- (12/15/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"Seligman, whose writing has appeared in the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, has done a service in bringing this little-known part of American history to our attention, one which demonstrates that the convergence of activism, socialism, and unionization prevalent in the early 20th century remains a staple in protests to this day."--Mike Maggio, Washington Independent Review of Books-- (2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Scott D. Seligman is a writer and historian. He is the national award-winning author of several books, including A Second Reckoning: Race, Injustice, and the Last Hanging in Annapolis (Potomac, 2021) and Murder in Manchuria: The True Story of a Jewish Virtuoso, Russian Fascists, a French Diplomat and a Japanese Spy in Occupied China (Potomac, 2023).