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Why Jews Stayed in New York
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Economical Aspects
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Ever since its establishment in the early seventeenth century, New York [which was at the time New Amsterdam] has been an entrepreneurial city. Its abundance of natural resources and its key location on the Hudson River and as a Port to the Atlantic Ocean enabled New York to develop into one of the most important cities in the New World. "On this river there is great
traffick in the skins of beavers, otters, foxes, bears, minks, wild cats,
and the like. The land is excellent and agreeable, full of noble forest
trees and grape vines, and nothing is wanting but the labor and industry
of man to render it one of the finest and most fruitful lands in that
part of the world…"1 -Johan de Laet,
1625, description of what is now New York. |
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The development of canals to the Hudson River during the early nineteenth century also helped stimulate the emergence of New York as one the most important cities in the United States. In particular, the Erie Canal made New York not only an international port, but also a more accessible city for the rest of the country. For More on the Erie Canal visit: |
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The geographical advantages of New York
City enabled it to become one of the largest and most important entrpôts
in the world.
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The social climate of New York was crucial to the its economic success. Because it was the melting pot of the world, New York had an environment relatively free of racism, prejudices, and religious discrimination. Newcomers enjoyed a relatively liberal environment both socially and economically, and hence, were offered equal opportunities. Jewish immigrants were no exception. Upon their arrival, Jews were elated to find an environment so different from the ones they were escaping.
"I enjoyed my first sight of the city immensely. The sight was so different, the hundreds of cabs, wagons, carts. Even one who has seen Germany's largest cities can hardly believe his eyes and ears."2 Abraham Kohn, Reflections of a New England Peddler |
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| The main period of Jewish immigration to New York City lasted for over eighty years. Within this period there were two main waves: one from Germany and one from Eastern Europe. The different areas origin provided each group with a different degree of education. However, in both cases, the immigrants arrived to a city that enabled them to maximize their potential. |
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| For the German Jews, immigration to the United States
came not only as a result of discrimination, but also as one of a falling
economy. In Germany, Jews played an important role in the economy. Many
were highly educated and worked as teachers, merchants, moneylenders, and
lawyers. Others, who were not as highly educated, worked as grain and hop
dealers, peddlers, and artisans. The high standard of education and skills
made the absorption of German Jews into the United States less problematic.
Even though most German Jews arrived to America with an education, few arrived with reasonable finances. Most of the newcomers began working low-paying jobs, but many soon found opportunities in the expanding economy of New York City. The two main fields of occupation of the German Jews were the clothing business and finance. Some of the dry goods peddlers invested their earning in retail clothing stores and later moved into manufacturing inexpensive ready-to-wear clothing.3 Other peddlers and merchants, after accumulating financial resources, became financiers. Some of these financiers found great success and became well known, as names such as Gugenheim, Loeb, Kuhn, and Lehman are still known today. To Visit the Lehman Brothers site and learn more about their history click here: http://www.lehman.com/who/history/index.htm Although the German Jewish population of New York started out poor, it quickly upgraded its status. The education and experience that the Jews brought along with them enabled the first generation of immigrants to climb up the socio-economic ladder relatively quickly. By the second generation, many Jews found themselves in the middle and upper-middle classes. The success of the German Jews crystallized their attitude towards the Eastern European Jews, which they considered inferior. Many German Jews feared that the mass migration to America of the unskilled and old fashioned Eastern European Jews would result in anti-Semitism, which in turn would bring about the same discrimination that they had escaped.
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Many of the Eastern European Jews that arrived in New York during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries came from small, poor, and enclosed communities, also known as shtetls. Within these communities there was no aspiration for a high degree of education, because from a religious standpoint it was not encouraged and from an economic standpoint it was not feasible. In the eyes of a shtetl Jew, a high degree of education meant continued religious studies throughout a lifetime. The highest position that a man could strive for was to become a Rabbi, while a woman was destined for the role of a housewife. Neither obtained skills that would be useful in a world so different than the shtetl.
This environment was suitable for the Eastern
European Jews because many of them arrived in New York with no education,
but yet had to earn a living. Official immigration figures of the period
from 1899 to 1914 show that forty percent of Jewish arrivals had been
employed in the clothing industry.4 Even though
it is disputable that these figures are accurate, most Jews found employment
in the garment industry of New York. Reasons for this include the close
proximity of the garment factories to the Lower East Side, the German
Jewish ownership of ninety percent of the businesses, and the simplicity
of learning how to operate a machine. Outside the garment industry, other
immigrants worked as peddlers, and as they accumulated some financial
means, they progressed to pushcart operators and eventually to store owners.
These jobs became more popular because of the fast-growing population
of the Lower East Side.
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| Introduction |
| Why Jews Stayed in New York City |
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| Conlusion |
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1. Eric Homberger, "The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of Nearly 400 Years of New York City's History." (New York, Henry Holt and Company,1994,) p. 9 2. Jacob Rader Marcus, "Memoirs of American Jews 1775-1865,"
(Philadelphia, The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1955,) p. 3 |
