Jewish NYC: Immigration

This section includes select resources on Jewish immigrants in New York City. Jewish immigration to New York City began in 1654 with the arrival of 23 refugees from Recife, Brazil, who were fleeing the Inquisition. They established Sheairth Israel, the city's first synagogue. The immigration of German and Polish Jews in the 1830s and 40s raised the city's Jewish population to 40,000 by the eve of the Civil War, and 80,000 by 1880.

The most substantial Jewish immigration occurred between 1880 and 1920, coming largely from Eastern Europe and in smaller numbers from the Levant. By 1920, the city's Jewish population reached a high point of 1,643,000, constituting 29% of the entire city population.

Most Jewish immigrants of this time (73%) settled in New York City, especially on the Lower East Side. The Johnson-Reed Act severely curtailed most Jewish immigration to the U.S. beginning in 1924. Later, Holocaust refugees, survivors, and displaced persons came to the U.S. and many settled in New York City. The Hart-Celler Act of 1965 allowed more immigration to the U.S. from more countries, and subsequent Jewish immigrants have come to the city from from Germany and Austria, Central and Eastern Europe; Iran; the former Soviet Union including Central Asia; Israel; Latin America; and elsewhere, adding to New York City's substantial population of immigrants from around the globe. Please see the communities section (link) for more information on specific Jewish communities in the city.

Note: Much of this information is compiled from Encyclopedia Judaica, available from home with your Library card.

We encourage you to explore the resources below, as well as this guide's sections on Communities and Neighborhoods to learn more about specific population groups and geographic immigrant communities.

Keywords:

Jewish immigrants   New York