10/28 blog questions

1. How and why did the Jewish population increase so rapidly in the 19th century?

During the 19th century, high birth rates and low death rates were a major contributor to the Jewish population growth. The Jewish population added up to about 2.7 million in 1800, and by 1900 it rose to 8.7 million. By 1910, over 12 million! The Jews were known as much healthier people because they didn’t drink alcohol, and they had smaller families, which meant less mouths’ to feed. Additionally, mothers breast-fed their children more and for a longer period of time. They had a very low infant mortality rate. These all helped lead to the rapid increase in population in the 19^th century.

2. Why did Jews move to cities and which cities became large Jewish centers?

The main reason that Jews began moving into cities was due to the fact that mertropolitanization was starting to become popular in the end of the 19th century. Jews moved into cities and out of rural areas for the better economy due to more job opportunities, as well as for a better education. Bialystok, Berdichev, Grodno, Pinsk, Lvov, Lodz, Lublin, Cracow, and Vilna all saw a large population increase because of the Jews moving in. Also, London swelled from 40,000 to 200,000 from 1880 to 1914. In York City the Jewish population expanded up to 1,503,000!