Hannah Wolinsky- Questions due Monday 10/28/13

The Jews: A History pp. 294- 298

Hannah Wolinsky

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

In 1800, the Jewish population was said to be 2.7 million. By 1910, the Jewish population increased to 12 million. The key reason for this increase in Jewish population was many births and few deaths. Jewish infants had a higher survival rate than non-Jewish infants because Jews were extremely healthy and usually lived longer than non-Jews. Jews weren’t as prone to illness or disease as non-Jews during this time. There are multiple reasons why the health of the Jews stood out. First of all, there was a nonappearance of alcohol in Jewish life. In addition to that, Jewish parents were able to provide their children with more resources since they weren’t having so many kids. Jewish infants were breast fed for a longer period of time than other infants. Lastly, Jewish mothers did not work outside the home so they were able to care for their children more easily.

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

Eastern European migration caused Jews to populate more cities and urbanize. Some cities that grew in Jewish population include: London, Vienna, Paris, and Amsterdam. In the Mediterranean region, Salonika became one of Europe’s largest and most thriving Jewish cities. It was seen as a safe place for Jews to migrate after the expulsion from Spain and a place to express Jewish culture. Salonika’s Jewish population continued to increase throughout the end of the nineteenth century because of the arriving eastern European Jewish immigrants. In Eastern Europe, there was a common pattern of Jews leaving their shtetls and villages to move to nearby cities. Other cities that increased their Jewish population in Eastern Europe include: Russia, St. Petersburg, and Warsaw.