Background Info-
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Why they came?
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What were their dreams?
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What challenged did they faced?
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Etc…
Jewish immigrants came
form 3 different parts of Europe, the economic, social, and religious. The first
group of Jews came from Portuguese-rule Brazil. The second group came after the
failed German revolution in 1848. The third group of Jewish immigrants into the
United States was also the largest. They came from Poland and Russia. They were
all huddled coming to America in a ship, pretty big but small because of the
population in the ship. They came and settled at the Lower East Side in New
York City. Before they had taken their first steps in New York, they first took
a medical exam. If they were found that they had any kinds of diseases they
were to send back to their homes and couldn’t come again. And remember…at those
times there weren’t doctors to help heal the sickness. Even if they were, the
Jewish wouldn’t even be able to afford to see the doctors to heal themselves
because the conditions in Russia and Poland were bad. There weren’t many jobs
to offer.
Jewish came for in search
of a better life. In Russia, there were many starvations and Jews couldn’t find
any jobs to help the family to make for a living. They heard that if you become
an American, you would become rich because of all the economic opportunities
that America offers. Jews came because they didn’t want to suffer in their hard
land and starve to death when they can’t even do anything because of no jobs.
There would be soldiers threatening the Jewish family for money and things that
they wanted and that they were cheap to buy it themselves. They came because
they heard from neighbors that America is a rich place full of opportunities and
freedom…democracy…and the most important and main reason for the Jewish
immigrating to the United States was for religious freedom.
When they came to America,
they were being discriminated by many Americans because of the way that they
were dressed. They also couldn’t speak English well enough to communicate and
to fit in with the so called- “Perfect Americans.” Many Jewish came also for
education. They had restrictions on jobs. The majority of the Jews were
merchants, shopkeepers, and craftsmen.
Jewish are really
religious. They celebrate Hanukah. They would do anything for their religion,
which is also one reason for why they had emigrated to the United States for
democracy for religious freedom.
And all the dreams they
had when they wanted to come to America, was totally the opposite when they
arrived to America. But that was how America was back then…