Trudy Gold
Pogroms and Options: 1881-1914
Summary
The lecture delves into the plight of the Jewish community in the late 19th century Russian Empire, focusing on the overcrowded Pale of Settlement and the mass exodus of Eastern European Jews between 1881 and 1914. It discusses the outbreak of pogroms following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, highlighting the economic oppression and political instability that fueled unrest. Antisemitism, prevalent in both conservative and revolutionary circles, further exacerbated tensions and worsened conditions for the Jewish population, leading to significant deterioration of their quality of life within the Russian Empire.
Trudy Gold
Trudy Gold was the CEO of the London Jewish Cultural Centre and a founding member of the British delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Throughout her career she taught modern Jewish history at schools, universities, and to adult groups and ran seminars on Holocaust education in the UK, Eastern Europe, and China. She also led Jewish educational tours all over the world. Trudy was the educational director of the student resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and “Holocaust Explained” and the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilization.
They left with very, very little money. They would go steerage. We know that when they arrived in New York, many of them had scurvy because of the conditions. Families just skimped and saved to send usually a male, either the father or the elder brother, to come and then send for them. Sometimes they did, sometimes there were desertions. It’s not all beautiful story.
Some would’ve been too poor to leave, but 40% of them did get out. They did somehow manage it. Could you leave if you’ve got an elderly or sick parent or a very young child? Are you frightened of leaving this security of the community? The pogroms were horrific, but many historians believe it’s really the poverty that was the overriding thing.
I would definitely be looking at Poland. Not sure about Romania, but I have a colleague who will.