Divided into three sections, this work explains how the concepts and practices of traditional European Judaism were adapted to North American culture beginning in the late nineteenth century. Part I focuses on the ideas and activities of Cyrus Adler (1863-1940), one of the most prominent leaders of the traditionalist Jewish community in the United States in his era. The issues in these essays include the origins of American Jewish history as a field of study, the Kehilla experiments of the early twentieth century, and the relationship between the Jewish Theological Seminary and Orthodox Judaism. Part II deals with the beginnings of Hasidic Judaism in North America prior to the Second World War. It also includes several studies investigating the shaping of the worldview of Orthodox Judaism in contemporary North America. Part III examines the issue of contemporary American Jewish attitudes toward evolution and intelligent design.

"In distinguishing the fledgling American Jewish Historical Society from The Jewish Publication Society in 1892, Cyrus Adler insisted that the former must “publish at times dry as dust material”(7). Fortunately, Ira Robinson did not heed his subject’s advice. Translating a Tradition: Studies in American Jewish History is an engaging and important contribution to the field." - The American Jewish Archives Journal LXI, no. 2 (2009)