TOTAL JEWISH IMMIGRATION
The movement of the total Jewish immigration for the thirty years
becomes clear in the light of the preceding pages. It is a rising
movement, divided into two parts, the first culminating in 1892 and the
second culminating in 1906. Like the Russian Jewish immigration which
underlies it, the movement is one of geometrical progression.[86] From
1881 to 1890, 193,021 Jewish immigrants entered this country, 12.3 per
cent of the total Jewish immigration. From 1891 to 1900, 393,516 Jewish
immigrants, or 25.2 per cent entered. In the last decade there entered
the enormous number of 976,263 Jewish immigrants, representing 62.5 per
cent of the total Jewish immigration for the thirty years. This was
more than twice as many as had entered the preceding decade, and more
than five times the number of those who had entered the first decade.
The Jewish immigration is in its largest part a product of the last
decade.
The rise has not, however, been uniformly steady, as a division of the
entire period into five six-year periods shows.[87] In the period from
1893 to 1898, there was a fall in the Jewish immigration. This period
coincides with the years of depression in the United States following
the panic of 1893. The fall was chiefly due to that in the Russian
Jewish immigration. The Jewish immigration from Austria-Hungary on the
contrary showed a relative rise. For this period, as well as for a
few years before, the Roumanian Jewish immigration contributed smaller
numbers than in the previous decade. As in the case of the Russian
Jewish movement, if we compare the immigration of the six-year period
from 1885 to 1890, with that from 1893 to 1898, omitting the years
1891 and 1892 which are influenced in their great rise by the
exceptional circumstances occurring within these two years, we find
that the Jewish immigration was higher during the latter period of
depression in the United States than during the earlier period, the
total number of immigrants being 167,567 for the latter period, and
153,951 for the former.
In the period from 1899 to 1904 there was a great rise. A quarter of
the entire immigration came in this period. The largest number of
immigrants--more than two-fifths of the total of thirty years--came in
the period from 1905 to 1910. If we included the immigration of 1904,
which properly belongs to the later movement, we find that half of the
entire Jewish immigration came within the seven years from 1904 to
1910.
The yearly variations of the total Jewish immigration correspond
closely in the main to those of the Russian Jewish movement.[88] The
influence of the other movements is, however, felt, at times quite
strongly. Before 1885 the total Jewish immigration was quite small;
less than 10,000 (except in 1882) or less than 1 per cent of the
total, arrived each year. The rise of the immigration in 1882 to
13,202 was wholly due to the increase in the number of Russian Jewish
immigrants. The second half of this decade was marked by a rising tide
in the Jewish immigration from all the countries of Eastern Europe,
which reached a height in 1887, with an immigration of 33,044,
constituting more than 2 per cent of the total number. This was but a
prelude to the great rise at the opening of the second decade which in
1892 reached the number of 76,373 Jewish immigrants, the highest
number attained in the first two decades. The immigration for this
year alone constituted nearly one-twentieth of the total Jewish
immigration. The increase of these years is due solely to the increase
in the Russian Jewish immigration. From this point a fall ensued,
which lasted until 1899. The fall was strongest in the Russian and the
Roumanian movements. The absolute numbers and the relative proportions
in the Jewish movement from Austria-Hungary increased. The tremendous
rise of the last decade began in 1899. In 1900 the number of Jewish
arrivals rose to 60,764. This increase was general, though it reached
unusual proportions in the immigration from Roumania.
The fall in the next two years was due to a decrease in the number of
immigrants from Austria-Hungary. That from Russia remained the same as
in 1900, and the Roumanian Jewish immigration maintained the high
level established in that year.
The immigration of 1903 surpassed the great numbers attained in 1892.
The rise of nearly 20,000 of this year was general, though relatively
greatest in the Jewish immigrants from Austria-Hungary.
The next three years marks the heights of the movement. In 1904, the
30,000 immigrants which represented the increase from the preceding
year were Russian Jews. This is equally true of the large increase of
1905. In this year a fall took place both in the Austrian and
Roumanian Jewish immigration. The Jewish immigration from the United
Kingdom rose tremendously from 817 of the preceding year to
14,299,[89] an increase which reflects the influences of the Russian
Jewish movement for this year, and indicates that this movement from
the United Kingdom must be considered as largely Russian Jewish.
The year 1906 marked the high-water mark of Jewish immigration for
thirty years. 153,748 immigrants, practically one-tenth of the total
movement, came in this year. As in the preceding year, the increase in
the immigration from Russia (including the numbers from the United
Kingdom) was the basis of the increase in the total.
From this point on we have a decline. The decline in 1907 to 149,182
immigrants reflected the decline in the numbers of the Russian Jewish
immigrants, those from Austria-Hungary increasing. In this year the
number of immigrants from British North America became conspicuous. In
1908 the immigration fell to 103,387, reflecting almost wholly the
fall in the numbers of the Russian Jewish immigrants. The year 1909
marked a tremendous decline of the Jewish immigration to 57,551
immigrants. This decline was general, though relatively the greatest
in the Austro-Hungarian and the Roumanian immigration.
A speedy recovery in numbers was shown in 1910 when the immigration
rose to 84,260, recurring to the numbers at the beginning of the
recent great rise, and higher than the immigration of any year before
1904. The rise was felt equally in the Russian and Austro-Hungarian
immigration, relatively little in the Roumanian.
Thus by far the chief influence in the movement of the Jewish
immigration for these thirty years has been the Russian Jewish
immigration. In its growth of numbers, and in its rise and fall, the
total Jewish immigration of the last thirty years is a reflection of
the movement of the Russian Jews to this country.
FOOTNOTES:
[86] _Cf._ table XXVII, p. 172.
[87] _Cf._ table XXVIII, p. 172.
[88] _Cf._ table XXIX, p. 173.
[89] _Cf._ table VI, p. 93.