Israel Zangwill 
The Melting Pot (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 
A Drama in Four Acts

Published in 1901, and first performed to great success in 1908, Zangwill’s play features a Jewish immigrant’s assimilation into American culture.  David Quixano emigrates from Russia after his family is murdered in a pogrom.  Once in the United States he writes a symphony, ‘The Crucible, ‘ and falls in love with a young Russian woman whose family hides a shocking secret.

About the author

Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) was born in London to Jewish immigrants from Czarist Russia. A playwright, novelist, and humorist, he often took on the subjects of Zionism, Jewish nationalism and assimilation, as well as feminism and pacifism. His 1908 play The Melting Pot popularized the titular phrase and his 1891 The Big Bow Mystery has been called the first locked-room murder novel.