This is a picture taken in Prague, where several hundred Jews (not photographed) are being deported, taking only their most valuable items. Source: Source: The Face of Survival: Jewish Life in Eastern Europe Past and Present
Who came to America?
- Some Jews didn’t want to immigrate
- Able-bodied workers, young adults at the peak of their physical ability, far outnumbered children or older people.
- Most came from the age group typical of nearly all immigrants – young people able to work long hours.
- Before 1880, young single men predominately arrived and young women emigrated on their own rarely. Daughters did not accompany fathers as pioneers in the family’s relocation to America.
- By 1880, Jewish women left just as often as Jewish men.
Demographics in The US: Prior to the Mass Immigration
- Most Jews in the US by 1885 were, in fact German Jews
55 % reported that their mother was born in Germany
21 % reported that their mother was born in the US
11 % reported Russia or Poland
13% Unknown/ Different Country
Residence Patterns
- Between 1880 and 1920, almost 24 million immigrants arrived in the United States. These “New Immigrants” were primarily from Southern and Eastern European nations — Italy, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungry, and Russia. In 1882, immigration reached a new high with 788,992 persons arriving that year.
- From Russia alone the emigration rate for Jews rose from an annual average of 4,100 in the decade 1871-80 to an annual average of 20,700 in the decade 1881-90
Residence Patterns in the US
Where did Jews tend to live?
1. Lower East Side Tenements
2. Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Borough Park)
Some Statistics:
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Why New York City?
- Economic
- Two main fields of employment – finance/retail trade and the garment industry
- Religious
- Jewish religious infrastructure already in place in NY’s Lower East Side by 1880
- Social
- Jewish Communities were self-contained and uniform in language and culture
- Language commonly spoken by over 80% of the Jews in 1910 was Yiddish
Map of Ethnic Densities in Manhattan in 1880 found in NY Public Library. As you can see from the Red portions of the map, these areas were mostly inhabited by Jewish, Eastern European immigrants. Some of the neighborhoods include the Lower East Side, Midtown East, Upper East Side, and the Bronx.
Residence Patterns
- Just like in their shtetls in Eastern Europe, Jews were more inclined to live in closer proximity to each other, but:
- Traditional faith continues to be foundational
- The sense of family and community was lost as the Jews assimilated
- Men came first to settle down, then they sent money over to bring the rest of the family
Residence Patterns: Tenements
- Each “tenement” or apartment consisted of a parlor, kitchen, and a door-less windowless bedroom, and sometimes even less
- The apartments were built by the Germans in the 1850’s and when they moved out, a slew of immigrants kept replacing each other in these tenements such as the Germans, Italians, Jews, and Chinese
- Some tenements were part workshop for those who couldn’t afford factories and wanted to live close to home
A typical picture of Norfolk and Hester Street's bustle and hustle on a typical late 1800's/early 1900's New York day. Source: Photographer: J.S. Johnston, 1898
Ludlow Street from our walking tours. Here is one of the many areas Jews lived in almost a century ago and on the building they left Jewish insignia such as the star of David on the outer facade.
Some Effects of Demography and Residence Patterns of the Jews:
The traditional family patterns were no longer. A disarranged family structure gave permission to the women for a new power within the hierarchy. Of course with this disturbance brought desertion of family by immigrant husbands. This new residence in the city really became what broke down many families. Men without spiritual roots were defenseless against American life. They often left their young families because of the lure of money and other women.
