Residential Patterns of Jewish Immigrants to New York

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Residential Patterns in New York City

The influx of German Jews during the middle of the 19th century followed the pattern of most immigrant groups. That is that trend of settling in an area close to other people of the same ethnicity or place of origin. This resulted in the settling of German Jews in what was at that time known as Kleindeutschland, or Little Germany in Manhattan. Kleindeutschland was the area around Tompkins Square Park. It was bordered by the Bowery on the west and the East River on and Avenue A and Avenue B were its most busiest streets.

Late 19th Century

Lower East Side and the East River
Lower East Side and the East River
Towards the end of the 19th century, during the mass influx of East European Jews, the previous area of residence for Jews expanded. Jews now started to settle in what is known as the historic Lower East Side of Manhattan. The area with the highest concentration of Jews was could be roughly defined by 14th Street in the north, Market Street in the south, Bowery on the west, and by the East River. As the earlier German and Irish immigrants began to move out, Jews began to settle in this area and establish their communities. The high concentration of immigrants in the Lower East Side made it the most crowded district in the five boroughs.[1]




Early 20th Century

Grand Concourse, Bronx
Grand Concourse, Bronx
At the turn of the 20th century Jews started to move out of the heavily populated Lower East Side. Some of these neighborhoods included Williamsburg and Brownsville in Brooklyn. Other neighborhoods included Harlem, Washington Heights, and parts of the East and South Bronx.[2] By the 1920’s, it was estimated that there were more Jews living in Brooklyn that in Manhattan and the Bronx combined.[2] When the Bronx’s Grand Concourse was established, Jews started to move in, away from the Lower East Side as well as Harlem, Brownsville and Williamsburg. [2]




Late 20th Century

Group of Hasidic Jews praying in a Crown Heights synagouge
Group of Hasidic Jews praying in a Crown Heights synagouge
During the 1950-60’s, as blacks and Hispanics started to move into neighborhoods like Brownsville and Grand Concourse, Jews started moving out. Jews started settling in areas like Canarsie in Brooklyn, and Riverdale and Co-Op City in the Bronx.[2] Jews that immigrated into the city at the second half of the 20th century made residence in old neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Boro Park, and new ones like Crown Heights. Currently, Jews reside in all five boroughs, however, the highest concentrations can still be found in neighborhoods like Boro Park and Crown Heights in Brooklyn



References

  1. Howe, Irving. World of our fathers. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Binder, Frederick, and David Reimers. All The Nations Under Heaven. New York: Columbia UP, 1995.