New Chassidish Community Being Planned in Casa Grande Arizona

[grodnoking]

chevron's story was about ancestors in Iowa in the 1890s - 1900s, around the turn of the century.  That was when the major wave of Ashkenazi Jews arrived from Eastern Europe, about 2 million people between 1880 and 1924.  Might be interesting (and easier) to ask the question in the other direction:
Did you have at least one ancestor who immigrated to America between 1880-1924 and lived in a city?  .... in a small community?

Great Great grandparents of mine came around that time. They lived - respectively- in Wilkes-Barre, Manhattan, and st Louis.

[skyguy918]

Religion and Secularism in America’s Small-Town Jewish Communities,     Lee Shai Weissbach

This guy wrote the book on the subject:
https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Life-Small-Town-America-History/dp/0300106718

[skyguy918]

Also, it's not just the really small communities. There are plenty of places that were considered major Jewish communities at one point or another that probably aren't even top 10 in the US today. Two that I've visited that come to mind are New Orleans and Savannah, but there are many more.

[AsherO]

I don't know where @chevron got that specific figure.  Is it 1/3 of people were in small communities? Or 1/3 of communities were small? 

1/3 of communities is much more likely. Could account for a very small fraction of the 2 million population figure you cited.

[AsherO]

Also, it's not just the really small communities. There are plenty of places that were considered major Jewish communities at one point or another that probably aren't even top 10 in the US today. Two that I've visited that come to mind are New Orleans and Savannah, but there are many more.

But those were likely above 1,000 people, even in 1924.

ETA: I'm right about Savannah: https://www.isjl.org/georgia-savannah-encyclopedia.html
Not so right about New Orleans: https://www.isjl.org/louisiana-new-orleans-encyclopedia.html There were likely over 1000 Jews but no organized community.

[biobook]

I've lost (or never grasped) what we're discussing here.  Are we just trying to fact-check chevron's statement?  Or is there some larger debate about Jews living in small towns?

[Yehuda57]

I've lost (or never grasped) what we're discussing here.  Are we just trying to fact-check chevron's statement?  Or is there some larger debate about Jews living in small towns?

This thread is about a new community in Arizona that doesn't know how to spell vacation.

[moko]

chevron's story was about ancestors in Iowa in the 1890s - 1900s, around the turn of the century.  That was when the major wave of Ashkenazi Jews arrived from Eastern Europe, about 2 million people between 1880 and 1924.  Might be interesting (and easier) to ask the question in the other direction:
Did you have at least one ancestor who immigrated to America between 1880-1924 and lived in a city?  .... in a small community?

great great grandfather moved from what is today Romania to Williamsburg and then to Ellenville, NY. He's buried in Ellenville.

[EliJelly]

Wow a lot of American pre war ancestors here.

[Euclid]

Wow a lot of American pre war ancestors here.

I was always jealous of the kids in school who had grandparents (or great grandparents) who went through the war. Mine were just as boring as apple pie.

[biobook]

Wow a lot of American pre war ancestors here.

That's why I asked you earlier why you were surprised:

+1. Therefore I find it fascinating that a 6th generation Clevelander is one of the more famous Shomrei torah umitzvos today.

Since the largest immigration of Jews to America was around 1880-1920, most American Ashkenazi Jews have ancestors from that time period.  And many of them lived outside of NYC.

I think this might be different for Chassidim who were more likely to arrive after WWII.

[biobook]

I was always jealous of the kids in school who had grandparents (or great grandparents) who went through the war. Mine were just as boring as apple pie.

Because they weren't in America? Or were too young or too old to enlist?

[Euclid]

Because they weren't in America? Or were too young or too old to enlist?

I meant went through ie survived the Holocaust in Europe; my grandfather served in the US army. We were here since the late 1800s.

[biobook]

I meant went through ie survived the Holocaust in Europe; my grandfather served in the US army. We were here since the late 1800s.

Not so boring...

[aygart]

Wow a lot of American pre war ancestors here.

All 4 of my grandparents were pre-war together with 3 of my wife's grandparents. 2 were born in North America (1 in Canada 1 in the US) 2 were brought over as small children

[ruv]

Tampa makes sense though. The Tampa bay area is fairly established city.

@Dan  may not love the climate but it's solid. Realistic drive to Miami, short drive to Orlando. Less realistic but feasible drive to Atlanta and Jacksonville.

And as mentioned, easy access to direct flights to most city's.

Are you writing here about Tampa as apposed to Casa Grande?

1) CG is 40 minutes from Phoenix, the fifth biggest city in the US. So talk about established.
2) The climate is better in Az winter and even summer.
3) Even easier access to more direct flights to more cities, and even international.

[EliJelly]

That's why I asked you earlier why you were surprised:

I think this might be different for Chassidim who were more likely to arrive after WWII.

This. All four of my grandparents were born and raised in Europe before the war, and three of my wife's grandparents. As a kid before I read up much I thought that besides for R Yakkov Yosef Herman (All for the boss) and a few others there weren't too many frum Jews in America, let alone having frum children & grandchildren.

[EliJelly]

great great grandfather moved from what is today Romania to Williamsburg and then to Ellenville, NY. He's buried in Ellenville.

Interestingly, I just drove by today this cemetery.

[biobook]

This. All four of my grandparents were born and raised in Europe before the war, and three of my wife's grandparents. As a kid before I read up much I thought that besides for R Yakkov Yosef Herman (All for the boss) and a few others there weren't too many frum Jews in America, let alone having frum children & grandchildren.

It's a common misconception!  Most of our schools don't teach a lot about American Jewish history.  Dr. Yitzchok Levine, a mathematician, used to write about Jewish history in the Jewish Press (and elsewhere), and you might find his articles interesting.  Lots, but not all, about orthodox Jews:    https://personal.stevens.edu/~llevine/pub.html

[EliJelly]

It's a common misconception!  Most of our schools don't teach a lot about American Jewish history.  Dr. Yitzchok Levine, a mathematician, used to write about Jewish history in the Jewish Press (and elsewhere), and you might find his articles interesting.  Lots, but not all, about orthodox Jews:    https://personal.stevens.edu/~llevine/pub.html

There is actually an abundance of articles even in Yiddish on pre war American Jewish history, maybe more so in the last couple of years.
(For instance there's an article in this weeks "Di Tzeitung" on the biography of Rabbi Gavriel Zev Margolis, next to another article featuring the father of Rabbi David Cohen from Flatbush who came here in 1923.)