Israel Zangwill

The Melting-Pot Israel Zangwill

"The Melting Pot" is a play by Israel Zangwill. First performed in 1908, it tells the story of the Quixanos, a Russian Jewish immigrant family. In an attempt to forget the horrors of his time spent in a pogrom that killed his sister and mother, David Quixanos writes an "American Symphony" that harks forward to a fairer and safer society devoid of ethnic divisions. After falling in love with a Russian Christian immigrant named Vera, David is forced to confront the man responsible for his family's treatment in the pogrom: Vera's Father. Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) was a British author. He was a leading figure in cultural Zionism during the 19th century, as well as close friend of Theodor Herzl. In later life, he renounced the seeking of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Other notable works by this author include: "Dreamers of the Ghetto" (1898), "Ghetto Tragedies" (1899), and "Ghetto Comedies" (1907). This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter from "English Humourists of To-Day" by J. A. Hammerton.