Ellis Island Visual Project

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Ellis Island Visual Project
RUSSIA
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Map Continued
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Origin of Ethnic Group

• Many Jewish Russians came to the U.S. in the
  late 19th century early 20th century to avoid
  persecution and their economic problems.
• Their living conditions were comparable to the
  Irish undergoing the Potato Famine Shacks
  crowded with their whole families and barely
  enough to eat.
• In 1870 the Russian government revoked freedom of
  worship, draft exemption, and legal autonomy from
  all of its citizens, stimulating Russian Jewish
  emigration.
• The government also sponsored the Cold Program
  and Russification Program which were both
  created to stamp out the different ethnic
  groups in the country.

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Jewish Emigration From Russia

• Between 1820 and 1920 over 3,250,000 people
  emigrated from Russia to the United States
• The 1920 census showed that 392,049 American
  citizens had been born in Russia
• Between 1880 and 1924, 2.2 million Russian Jews
  immigrated to America
• The third wave of Jewish immigrants to America
  was from Russia

1880 - 1928
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Reasons for leaving Russia

• Raids through the country
• Anti-Semitism and pogroms
• Feared the riots that went on and that the riots
  might lead to a pogrom
• The government was changing all the time
• The Germans came and were raping women
• The Bolsheviks took everything from the people
• The Russian Revolution
• People left because they knew they would lose
  everything

Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union
1928-1953
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Jacob Mithelstadt and his family from Russia at
Ellis Island in 1905  
Russian Jewish immigrants, 1911
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Russian Expectations of America
Main Expectations
---Did not necessarily expect streets of gold,
but there were other more reasonable expectations
---Spoke of higher wages, many available jobs,
and easier land to acquire than in their former
country.
---They had heard about poor factories and living
conditions from letters, so knew that wouldnt be
too good
---Russian nobles and intellectuals expected
respect, even while not in native country
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Russian Expectations of America
The Golden Door?
Term Golden Door came from words inscribed on
Statue of Liberty
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled
masses, yearning to breathe free Send these, the
homeless, tempest-tossed to me I lift my lamp
beside the golden door.
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Russian Expectations of America
Established Truths?
---Allured by Declaration of Independence and
message of We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal
---Attracted by promise of religious and
political liberties in Pennsylvania and other
states
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Trades and Crafts
Russian immigrants brought with them several
trades and crafts that would enrich life in the
United States
Few Russian groups refused to assimilate into
American culture, so many did not keep their
traditional crafts and lifestyle.
Russians tended to follow trades similar to what
they had done in Russia sewing, tailoring, other
non-industrial jobs
A Russian man sells traditional Russian crafts.
A family assembles pieces of clothing
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Trades and Crafts
Russians also worked in the following types of
factories cigar, hat, silk, and shoe factories
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Influence And Customs
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Influence Of Russian
Entertainment
Russian Immigrants usually unskilled laborers
enjoyed to represent their Elite Culture, which
they left behind.
They wished to fondly remember their homeland's
entertainments such as Plays and Theatre.
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Immigrants longing to express their Foreign
culture developed rich performances which became
popular in the Cities
At First these performances held little impact on
American culture but that would change.
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An example of a Russian influence is the success
of singing star Sophie Tucker who came to the
United states as an Infant. She began her
influences as a young ten year old girl who sang
in family cafes, before her style grew more
popular bringing her to Broadway in Last Of the
Red Hot Mamas
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Lillian Kaiz Razhon, Russia

• Lillian Kaiz came by boat to Ellis Island as a
  child in 1920. She was born in Razhon Russia, in
  the Kiev area, in 1913.
• Her family decided to leave Russia because of the
  Communist Revolution that was going on.. When the
  Anti-Semitic Cossacks attacked her house in the
  middle of the night and demanded money, they made
  the final decision to immigrate to the U.S.
• Her family had owned a flour mill, and when they
  left Russia, the whole family came, with the
  exception of her 2 uncles and an aunt who stayed
  behind.
• She was detained in Ellis Island for about 3
  weeks, going through the process.
• They were able to come to the United States
  because her father was already in Chicago He
  owned a specialty foods store, and was a
  policeman for a short period of time.
• Although she experienced the full effects of the
  Great Depression in the 1930s, it was still much
  better than being in Russia with the revolution.
  She still continued to go to school while her
  father kept a newspaper stand to earn money for
  the family.

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Image Bibliography

• Frederic, David. Pictures of France. 7 Nov 2006
  http//frederic.david77.free.fr/book/page001.htm
• Liberty. 7 Nov 2006 http//www.putsmans.com
• Russia. Mantrav International. 11/7/06.
  lthttp//www.mantrav.co.uk/images/russia/russia-hr.
  jpggt.
• Russia Map. Yahoo! Travel. 11/6/06.
  lthttp//us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/ma
  ps/e5/750x750_russia_m.gifgt.
• Russian Map. Mountain High Maps. 11/6/06.
  lthttp//www.bugbog.com/images/maps/russia_map.jpg
  gt.
• Russian Immigrant Children. Canada Science and
  Technology Museum. 7 Nov 2006 http//imagescn.tec
  hnomuses.ca/people/index_choice.cfm?id30photoid
  12470973
• Russian Jewish Family. webmaster_at_cjccc.ca
  11/6/06. lthttp//www.cjc.ca/archives/photo/PC06- f
  ull.JPGgt.
• Simonov, Pavel. Russian Intelligence Acted
  Against Americans in Iraq. Global Challenge
  Research. 6 Nov 2006 http//www.axisglobe.com/arti
  cle.asp?article499-
• The Ship List. 6 Nov. 2006 lthttp//www.theshipslis
  t.com/pictures/russian.htmgt.

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Bibliography

• Acculturation and Assimilation. Russian
  Americans. 6 Nov 2006 lthttp//www.everyculture.com
  /multi/Pa-Sp/Russian-Americans.htmlgt
• Blumenthal, Shirley. Coming to America. New York
  Delacorte P, 1981.
• Cahan, Abraham. "The Russian Jew in America."
  July 1898. 6 Nov. 2006 lthttp//tenant.net/Communi
  ty/LES/cahan5.htmlgt.
• Kaiz, Lillian. Immigrant Russian Oral History.
  NY,NY. 11/1.(Ellis Island Library)
• Leinwand, Gerald. American Immigration. New York
  An Impact Book, 1995
• Magocsi, Paul. "Russian Americans." Countries and
  Their Cultures. 6 Nov. 2006 lthttp//www.everycult
  ure.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Russian-Americans.htmlgt.
• "Polish/Russia." Immigration. 6 Nov. 2006
  lthttp//memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/polis
  h6.htmlgt.
• "Russian Immigrants." Spartacus Educational. 5
  Nov. 2006 lthttp//www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/U
  SAErussia.htmgt.
• Russian Jewish Immigration to the United States
  in the late 19th Century. Needham 11/6/06.
  lthttp//nhs.needham.k12.ma.us/cur/kane98/kane_p6_
  immig/russian/eklbab.htmlgt.
• Van Etten, Ida M. "Russian Jews as Desirable
  Immigrants." 1893. 6 Nov. 2006 lthttp//www.tenant
  .net/Community/LES/vanetten.htmlgt.

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Credits Page

• Vanessa- Map showing origin of ethnic group,
  profiles of specific people
• Freddie- Particular trades or crafts that they
  brought with them and used in the U.S., title
  page
• Keith- Map showing specific areas of settlement
  in the United States, Reasons for leaving country
  of origin, credits page
• Justin- Customs that have become a part of the
  culture of the U.S.
• Andrew- Expectations upon arrivals in the United
  States, powerpoint animations