If you bought yourself a Chrysler in Fort Kent during the 20th century, chances are it was an Etscovitz who sold it to you. While northern Maine is well known for its Acadian families, perhaps less has been said about the influx of Jewish immigrants who helped shape the area for more than a century.
New York journalist Josh Nathan-Kazis, a writer for the Jewish Daily Forward, is a descendant of the Etscovitz family, whose Fort Kent businesses in the early 20th century ranged from meat and potatoes to automobiles. Nathan-Kazis recently traveled to Fort Kent and wrote a piece about his ancestors' pursuit of the American Dream.
Josh Nathan-Kazis' piece, "The Rise and Fall of the Potato King," appears in the Jewish Daily Forward.
