L . E .S. Eastern European Jewish Migration
Market day in the Lower East Side, Jewish Quarter, NYC in 1912. Courtesy of NYPL Digital gallery.
Half of the world's Jewish community lived in Eastern Europe in the beginning of the 19th century. From 1881 to 1924, between 2 million and 2.5 million Jews from Eastern Europe--the Russian Empire, Poland and Austria--immigrated to the United States. This mass exodus brought the establishment of the Immigration Act of 1924, decreasing the annual number of immigrants from 100,000 to 10,000. It established strict immigration policies until the end of the Second World War.
Pogroms (violent organized acts) were inflicted towards the Jewish communities, especially in the Russian Empire. These acts began after the assassination of the Tsar Alexander II in 1881. The Jews became the scapegoats, blamed for the position the country was in economically, socially, and politically. Their living conditions caused a massive number of Jews to leave for the United States, which they considered “the golden land.”
These new immigrants moved mostly to New York City and at first were not very welcomed. The German Jews already established in the city were hesitant to give assistance, one of the main reasons being that they feared this massive wave of immigrants might cause an increase in antisemitism.
Eastern European Jews settling in New York City chose to live in the Lower East Side where other Jewish communities were already present. The city was flourishing with industrial work so jobs were abundant. This very crowded part of the city was a center for small manufacturers and a growing garment industry.
The Jewish communities settling in the Lower East Side were very poor. Despite the establishment of “new law” tenements in 1901 that aimed to increase general quality of life, improvements in living conditions were actually scarce. The building of bridges between Manhattan and Brooklyn in the late 19th/early 20th centuries (Brooklyn Bridge, 1883, Williamsburg Bridge, 1903, Manhattan Bridge, 1912) acted as a catalyst for the movement of thousands of Jews fleeing the slums of Manhattan. The search for a new life and better conditions led many to Brooklyn, and more specifically Southside Williamsburg.
Pogroms (violent organized acts) were inflicted towards the Jewish communities, especially in the Russian Empire. These acts began after the assassination of the Tsar Alexander II in 1881. The Jews became the scapegoats, blamed for the position the country was in economically, socially, and politically. Their living conditions caused a massive number of Jews to leave for the United States, which they considered “the golden land.”
These new immigrants moved mostly to New York City and at first were not very welcomed. The German Jews already established in the city were hesitant to give assistance, one of the main reasons being that they feared this massive wave of immigrants might cause an increase in antisemitism.
Eastern European Jews settling in New York City chose to live in the Lower East Side where other Jewish communities were already present. The city was flourishing with industrial work so jobs were abundant. This very crowded part of the city was a center for small manufacturers and a growing garment industry.
The Jewish communities settling in the Lower East Side were very poor. Despite the establishment of “new law” tenements in 1901 that aimed to increase general quality of life, improvements in living conditions were actually scarce. The building of bridges between Manhattan and Brooklyn in the late 19th/early 20th centuries (Brooklyn Bridge, 1883, Williamsburg Bridge, 1903, Manhattan Bridge, 1912) acted as a catalyst for the movement of thousands of Jews fleeing the slums of Manhattan. The search for a new life and better conditions led many to Brooklyn, and more specifically Southside Williamsburg.