Abstract
This thesis examines the development of the Jewish community in Los Alamos, New Mexico during the 1940s and 1950s and compares its development with Jewish communities located near federally funded scientific research centers. The Jewish community of Los Alamos formed during World War II as over one hundred scientists from around the world arrived to work on the development of the atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project. When the war ended, dozens of Jewish scientists remained at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and established a permanent Jewish community. As the federal government transformed Los Alamos into a suburb in the 1950s, its Jewish community adapted many elements of suburban Jewish life. This thesis examines how Los Alamos Jews integrated socially and culturally into Los Alamos’ diverse cultural milieu and how Jewish scientists balanced their professional commitments as scientists with their religious and ethnic identities.