Russian JewsDennis Juhasz and Zach Freed

A little background

Russia, early as 1400s Except for the 15th and early 16th century,

there has pretty much always been reports of anti-semitism

In the 19th century there were triumphs with worse downfall – allowed to join military (1820s) depending on the Tsar, anti-semitism and

restrictions increased

Leaving Russia

There were many reasons the Jewish population decreased in the 20th century, but immigration was the leading cause (before the Holocaust)

Anti-semitism was the main reason Economic prosperity was second, then social

acceptance The U.S. was much more accepting of different

cultures – “the Melting Pot” Before immigration, South Carolina had the

largest Jewish population. Later, New York had the largest.

Immigration Act of 1924

This was a federal law enacted to limit the number of immigrants of each country to 2% of the immigrants already present in the US per year.

In 1939, 900 Jewish refugees sailed from Hamburg, Germany and were refused by Pres Roosevelt to land in the US.

Many of these Jews ended up back in the hands of Hitler’s army with grim futures ahead of them. Of the 900, 300 returned to the US alive.

This act hampered the immigration of Russian and European Jews, and its impact was felt all the way up to the 1960s.

In the United States

Many of the new immigrants became shop owners and vendors.

Many of those who came to the US had no choice but to leave Russia or Germany after the war

“The Day the Rabbis Marched” Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of NY Times

during the Holocaust, censored a lot of the Holocaust. Created inequality for Jews living in the states at the time.

Jewish Population by State

This is a modern day estimate, but the figures are representative of the immigration era numbers.

The largest country in terms of area at 6,592,771 sq miles Occupies most of eastern

Europe and north Asia. Diverse Topography: from

tundra to grassland to semi-desert

Bordered by China, North Korea, Norway, Poland etc.

Lowest point: Caspian Sea (92 feet)

Highest point: Mount Elbrus (17,920 feet)

Geography

Map

Synagogues are a large part of Jewish faith and bring the community together.

It is estimated that there are currently a ~700,000 Russian-Jewish population in the United States.

Large pockets of Russian-Jewish communities located in Brooklyn NY, as well as Northeast Philadelphia and Northern New Jersey.

Synagogues

Synagogue membership grew from 20% in the 1920 to 60% in the 1960.

Due to the ever increasing numbers of Jewish membership, Synagogues continue to be built to provide a haven for the community.

Synagogues (cont.)

During the American Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant issued an order expelling Jews from the areas under his control.

The lynching of Leo Frank, a Jewish businessman, by a mob of citizens in Georgia led to the creation of the Anti-Defamation League in 1913.

Antisemitism

Henry Ford publicly blamed the Jews for provoking incidents of mass violence in the 1920’s.

From 1979 to 1989, the Anti-Defamation League recorded more than 6,400 acts of vandalism, bombings, arsons, and cemetery desecrations against people of Jewish faith.

There are still many antisemitic organizations around today such as the KKK, the American Nazis, and the Aryan-White Resistance who continue to add to the list of attacks on Jewish faith.

Antisemitism (cont.)

Some Notable Facts

The Warner Bros. were Russian Jewish immigrants that changed their names.

Around the 1920s the word Jewish grew to mean a religion, and a population.

Not until after the war did Jewish really refer to a population.

Touro Synagogue, Providence RI. Oldest synagogue in the US.

The Jewish “banker” stereotype comes from the late 19th century. There were several businessmen and accountants that were Jewish and successful.