"A Sport at which Jews Excel": Jewish Basketball in American Society, 1900--1951

Jewish basketball reflected the experiences of American Jews during the first half of the twentieth century as they moved from being viewed as an 'alien' immigrant group to a relatively accepted minority within mainstream society. This dissertation will examine how the negotiations and power struggles involved in controlling the direction of, and the meanings associated with, Jewish basketball elucidate the complexities of a developing American Jewish community under the stress of integration.