Questions 10/28

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

 The reason that the Jewish population increased so rapidly was high birth rates and low death rates. Between 1850 and 1880, there were 17 more Jewish births than deaths for every 1000 people. They were known as much healthier people because of their virtual absence of alcoholism among Jews, and the fact that they had smaller families, which meant mouths to feed. They had to divide their material resources among a smaller number of children. They also breast-fed their children more and for a longer period of time. Finally, Jewish mothers were more likely to not work outside the home and had more time to tend to the needs of their children.





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

 Many Jews left their small towns for larger cities for educational and economic reasons. The cities that became large Jewish centers were London, Vienna, Paris, and St. Petersburg, among others.