Interview with Joel Dinerstein

In this episode of The Perez Notes, Roberto Perez speaks with author and scholar Joel Dinerstein about his memoir, The Last of the Ellis Island Jews—the tragicomic story of a working-class immigrant Jewish family in Brooklyn.

Joel discusses the vibrant neighborhood culture that shaped his family, the upheaval of white flight, and his experiences attending majority-Black public schools. The conversation explores Brooklyn’s changing identity, race, education, family conflict, and the disappearing worlds preserved through Joel’s unforgettable stories.