Welcome to America: Memories of "A Bintel Brief," by Barbara Lesser, opened the Steisand Festival of New Jewish Plays on June 3 at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. By basing its content on letters from "A Bintel Brief," it imaginatively transports us back to the issues and history of Jewish immigrant life in America. More than two million Eastern European Jews settled in America from 1880 to 1925, and a key to their understanding American life was the Yiddish newspapers, the Forward being one of the most popular. ... Playwright Lesser faced a huge challenge to conve...

• Word Count: 298
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), American poet, born near Haverhill, Massachusetts, and largely self-educated. ... Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) - American poet, one of the most popular and celebrated poets of his time. ... Langston Hughes (1902-1967) - American writer, known for the use of jazz and black folk rhythms in his poetry. ... Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) - American poet and biographer, known for his unrhymed free verse which uses precise and vivid images to portray the energy and brutality of American urban industrial life. ... Marianne Moore (1887-1972) - American poet, n...

• Word Count: 1931
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

The first account of dancing known to man came from the ancient civilizations of the Middle East, India, the Americas, Africa, and Australia. ... It has also been proven that Australians, the American natives and Africans danced for spiritual reasons and for entertainment purposes. ... Both Lully and Beauchamp, collaborated with France's great playwright Moliére in order to create court ballets, opera-ballets, and other fabulous spectacles. ...

• Word Count: 1480
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School