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| Migration of Jews from Europe
to North America |
Between 1815 und 1880 far more than 100,000 German
Jews emigrated to the U.S.A. After the Emancipation Law there were
still many legal disadvantages for the Jews and also persecution.
The implimentation of the reforms took much too long. One major
reason for the emigration of Jews in Westphalia was the deterioration
of the economic situation, failed harvests and partly also famine.
The conditions in the USA seemed to be much better than here.
The emigrants did not remain on the east coast
but moved on and were involved in the foundation of the cities of
St. Louis, Cincinnati, San Francisco and Chicago. Why were the Jews
attracted to Chicago – a city without a past and without tradition?
On the one hand migration was based on uniting an extended family,
as in the case of the Eisendrath family where secure jobs and integration
were prepared by the family. On the other hand the great majority
of immigrants in Chicago were of German descent, a lot of German
was spoken and German culture played a role in society. Jews could
choose whatever profession they wanted, there were no restrictions
on establishing businesses and there was complete freedom of religion.
In the second half of the 19th century Chicago developed from a
small pioneer settlement into a leading centre of trade and industry.
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