Roosevelt, New Jersey: Visions of Utopia
Encyclopedia
Roosevelt, New Jersey: Visions of Utopia is a 1983 documentary
. Richard Kroehling served as director and producer. The film explores the story of an independent, farming community of Jews
, which was developed on socialist principles and the belief that rural fresh air would benefit the working class
population of New York City
. It's a modern-day utopia
that almost came true for one Jewish village. During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) supported an order to transfer New York’s downstate garment workers to the Jersey Homesteads.
It was the earliest settlement of its type in the fifty states
of America: a community developed by the domineering leader of the United States, President Roosevelt. Its purpose was to bring serenity and a farm type lifestyle to a select group of the urban industrial workforce. The program was met with huge demand by impoverished factory workers looking for an improved way of life. Workers arrived in full force to take on the opportunity to fill out application forms for the project. Those selected worked together to built a community from scratch. Fields filled with mud were quickly transformed into pristine living spaces, with previously-unsettled lands now hosting avant-garde architecture. This particular environment allowed community, creativity and entrepreneurship to flourish.
Even though Jersey Homesteads was inhabited by hard-working people, the residents also knew how to enjoy themselves. Each evening there was a celebration that involved music, delectable meals and at times a bonfire. The settlement’s environment was welcoming and family-centered. One dweller teased that mothers could send their children into the street, because they were certain neighbors would happily provide them with a filling dinner. “There was such freedom about friendship,” a woman resident boasted, “you could walk into people’s houses and just sit down and enjoy an evening; we loved it — life here was just wonderful.” In the face of mounting anti-Semitism
abroad, Jersey Homesteads represented hope for Jews everywhere.
Despite a start full of promise, the experiment ultimately failed when the federal government
withdrew funding in 1939 in response to mounting tension in the community. “There were so many different points of view and that to us was humorous and at the same time delightful,” one original Homesteader says, but that once joyful dissidence among community members became worrisome as time moved forward, becoming “fantastic quarrels.”
“I think we learned that Utopias don’t seem to work out because people are not that unselfish,” one man laments. Ultimately, there were too many residents who could not sufficiently contribute to the settlement’s monetary needs and the price of living became too expensive. The Jersey Homesteads experiment may have been a failure, but it was a historic endeavor of America’s Jewish community. The testimonies of the people who lived through it suggest that this type of living situation is possible and can be rewarding. If allowed more time, maybe the residents could have resolved their differences. At the end of the day, Roosevelt, New Jersey
wasn’t utopia, but for a brief moment in history it came close.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
. Richard Kroehling served as director and producer. The film explores the story of an independent, farming community of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, which was developed on socialist principles and the belief that rural fresh air would benefit the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
population of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It's a modern-day utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
that almost came true for one Jewish village. During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) supported an order to transfer New York’s downstate garment workers to the Jersey Homesteads.
It was the earliest settlement of its type in the fifty states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of America: a community developed by the domineering leader of the United States, President Roosevelt. Its purpose was to bring serenity and a farm type lifestyle to a select group of the urban industrial workforce. The program was met with huge demand by impoverished factory workers looking for an improved way of life. Workers arrived in full force to take on the opportunity to fill out application forms for the project. Those selected worked together to built a community from scratch. Fields filled with mud were quickly transformed into pristine living spaces, with previously-unsettled lands now hosting avant-garde architecture. This particular environment allowed community, creativity and entrepreneurship to flourish.
Even though Jersey Homesteads was inhabited by hard-working people, the residents also knew how to enjoy themselves. Each evening there was a celebration that involved music, delectable meals and at times a bonfire. The settlement’s environment was welcoming and family-centered. One dweller teased that mothers could send their children into the street, because they were certain neighbors would happily provide them with a filling dinner. “There was such freedom about friendship,” a woman resident boasted, “you could walk into people’s houses and just sit down and enjoy an evening; we loved it — life here was just wonderful.” In the face of mounting anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
abroad, Jersey Homesteads represented hope for Jews everywhere.
Despite a start full of promise, the experiment ultimately failed when the federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
withdrew funding in 1939 in response to mounting tension in the community. “There were so many different points of view and that to us was humorous and at the same time delightful,” one original Homesteader says, but that once joyful dissidence among community members became worrisome as time moved forward, becoming “fantastic quarrels.”
“I think we learned that Utopias don’t seem to work out because people are not that unselfish,” one man laments. Ultimately, there were too many residents who could not sufficiently contribute to the settlement’s monetary needs and the price of living became too expensive. The Jersey Homesteads experiment may have been a failure, but it was a historic endeavor of America’s Jewish community. The testimonies of the people who lived through it suggest that this type of living situation is possible and can be rewarding. If allowed more time, maybe the residents could have resolved their differences. At the end of the day, Roosevelt, New Jersey
Roosevelt, New Jersey
Roosevelt was originally called Jersey Homesteads, and was created during the Great Depression as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. The town was home to a cooperative farming and manufacturing project...
wasn’t utopia, but for a brief moment in history it came close.