Shortened version (if needed):
Many European Jews immigrated to the United States throughout the 19th century for better life and more opportunity. They soon found life in the American economy, and their culture rose to prominence in the U.S. through their religiosity, their work, and their social customs. However, many Jewish immigrants faced difficulty throughout the 20th century during the Holocaust and immigration restrictions. Despite this, many Jewish communities in the U.S. continue to remain prominent to this day within states along the East Coast.
Answer:
Affected by economic hardship, persecution from European governments, and many other social upheavals that occurred throughout the 19th century, many European Jews immigrated to the United States for better life and more opportunity. Many of these immigrants settled in American cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and dozens more cities across the United States, primarily along the East Coast.
Many of these Jewish immigrants found work in the garment industry and started their own businesses. Though many Jewish immigrants came to the United States with little money, they quickly found life within the American economy mostly as workers, peddlers, and unskilled laborers. Their culture rose to prominence in the United States throughout the 19th and 20th centuries through their religiosity, their social network, their work, and their social customs.
However, by the 1920s, anti-immigration sentiment was growing, and a law was passed by the U.S. government known as the <em>Immigration Act of 1924</em>, which severely restricted immigration from many European countries, and as a result, it disrupted Jewish immigration from Europe. Although the law was repealed in 1965, the rate of Jewish immigration in the United States never topped rates before the 1920s ever again. Many Jewish immigrants opposed these immigration restrictions, especially as World War II started, and what became known as the Holocaust paved way for the persecution and death of many Jewish families in Europe. Many Jews in Europe continued to find ways to enter the United States during and after World War II, and to this day, many Jewish communities in the United States remain prominent in many states along the East Coast, especially in New York.
Sources:
- https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/haven-century.html
- https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/eastern-european-immigrants-in-united-states
- https://jewishmuseumtulsa.org/collections/oklahoma-jewish-experience/american-jewish-immigration/
- https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-population-in-the-united-states-by-state
