Anti-Semitism

From The Peopling of NYC

Anti-Semitism in Russia

After the assassination of Alexander II in 1881, European anti-Semitism grew rapidly. Planned campaigns of persecutions, called pogroms, were created. The Russian government did not hesitate to promote the Jews preeminence as middlemen. Jews were also restricted from many occupations and educational advances. Between 1903 and 1906 the number of pogroms against the Jews exploded, resulting in a major wave of several hundreds of thousands of Jews emigrating.

Anti-Semitism in America

Countless riots throughout the U.S. erupted. Jewish property and businesses were destroyed. In cities such as Milwaukee, Detroit, Rochester, and New York, there were innumerable occurrences of abuse towards Jews: beatings and attacks.

Anti-Semitic Sentiment at the turn of the century

At the turn of the 19th century, Anti-Semitism was on the rise all over the world. A period of Anti-Semitism had already occurred in the U.S. during the 1880-1890s. There was a brief calm created by the war in Europe, but by the 1920s, the second wave of Anti-Semitism was in full force. University and College quotas were set, and restrictive legislature was passed to block future Southern and Eastern European immigration. To make matters worse the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia led to the Red Scare in the US. This resulted in the deportation of many Eastern Europeans, a sizeable number of whom were Jews. While Anti-Semitism in the US was milder than in Europe, the 1920s did see some powerful anti-Semitic sentiment from people, institutions, and legislature.