Rachel B. Gross—Preaching the Promised Land: Mary Antin’s American Religions

Writer Mary Antin’s 1912 book The Promised Land, the first autobiography of a Russian Jewish immigrant to the United States, brought her national fame. But only a few years later, Antin abandoned celebrity in favor of exploring non-Jewish religious groups. Her spiritual journey reveals the resilience of Jewish identity, connections between health and religious practice, and the boundaries of religious communities.