Presenter: Sean Martin
Format: Download MP4 video file of Slides with synchronized audio

Cleveland was an important center of the garment industry in the twentieth century. Most of the entrepreneurs who developed the industry were Jewish immigrants from Central Europe who established family businesses. Until the decline of the area?s garment industry in the late twentieth century, Jews both owned factories producing textiles and worked inside them, often with other European immigrants. The industry offered steady jobs and helped to establish Cleveland?s reputation as an industrial power. When the industry declined in the late twentieth century, so, too, did Cleveland. Understanding how and why this industry flourished may tell us something about the success of immigrant entrepreneurs, the importance of positive relationships between workers and management, and the achievements of the Jewish community in Cleveland.