Questions for 10/28

1.The Jewish population greatly increased during the 1800’s, as it went from 2.7 million in the 1800’s to 8.7 million in the 1900's and it rose again to 12 million by 1910. The population growth of Jews mostly took place in Europe. The population increase can be attributed to high birth rates and low death rates. Babies were living longer, which allowed for balance in Jewish demographics and Jews were also healthy individuals. They had a lower infant mortality rate, lower death rate, and did not get sick as much compared to non-Jews. Jews basically did not drink alcohol and since they did not have as many children, their resources could be distributed more evenly. Jewish women also breast-fed and worked at home after marriage. Jews had good hygiene practices and tended to have a high standard of living compared to non-Jews.

2.Jews migrated to cities in the late 19^th and early 20^th because of urbanization. “Metropolitanization” increased at the end of the nineteenth century, as many Jews moved to European capitals. London became a large Jewish center because it grew to 200,000 in 1914. Vienna’s population became 175,000 in 1910. Paris and Amsterdam were also places that became large Jewish centers. Salonika became one of Europe’s largest Jewish cities, where it was called Ir v’em be- Yisrael. Jews kept coming to Salonika because it was a safe place after the explosion from Spain. Eastern European immigrants also came to Salonika, resulting in a Jewish population increase. Jews left their small towns and moved to bigger cities in Eastern Europe. Other large Jewish centers include St. Petersburg and Warsaw.