When I came across Nancy Foner’s discussion about the transnational patterns of Jews in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I was quite surprised. Everything I had learned about Jewry in Eastern Europe (my ancestry) told me that pervasive anti-Semitism and the difficulty of Jews to work and integrate into Eastern European society (particularly Russia) made it a very undesirable place to live. Many Jews felt their predicament could be remedied if they emigrated to America where the streets are “paved with gold” and move permanently along with their families and sever their ties to a country of origin that has treated them badly. It is therefore surprising to me that such a high percentage as 15 to 20% of Jewish immigrants between 1880-1900 went back.
The Jews are the classic and oldest example of a diasporic people. They have experienced exile from Israel for nearly 2,000 years and throughout history
have gone from country to country getting kicked out due almost exclusively to anti-Semitism. Because of this, I never believed it possible that Jews could ever be transmigrants to any Eastern European country, since our psychological and physical attachment to our host countries from the times of the Crusades (11th century) all the way to 19th century Europe has never been a truly permanent phenomenon where we feel totally attached culturally and politically since we’ve always had that feeling that we may get kicked out again. So I don’t really think that “transmigrants” might be the best word to use for the Jews in 19th and 20th century Eastern Europe.
If anything, it is far more appropriate to label modern American Jews who move to Israel and Israeli Jews who move to America as transmigrants. My knowledge of both these types of people (such as Zohar) shows that these people forge deep connections to both countries and frequently visit the other country they are not living in permanently to visit family. I would also say that both countries treat Jews much more nicely than the European countries of old did and thus allow for greater cultural, political, and familial ties that are necessary for transnationalism to take place. As Zohar has said numerous times in seminar, she visits her relatives in Israel from time to time despite her having moved to America, which makes her an excellent example of a transmigrant. I would argue this is not the case with the Jews of Eastern Europe.
