Question

jewish immigration to america
the first two centuries
though not representative of americas total jewish population, some 3.5 million jews have
immigrated to america since the 1700s, speaking to a long and varied history. most are either
of ashkenazi (german and eastern european) or sephardi (spanish and portuguese) descent.

• first arrivals: the first jews in america were portuguese sephardic jews arriving in

new amsterdam (new york) from brazil. they sought religious freedom like many
immigrant groups of the era. other jewish groups settled across the american colonies,
namely in philadelphia, charleston, and savannah.

• early communities: many early jews in america established \synagogue communities\

in which the backbone of social life was shared faith and religious practice.

• european instability: in the 60 years from 1820 to 1880, the u.s. jewish population

ballooned from a mere 3,000 to roughly 250,000 individuals, most of them fleeing famine,
economic distress, and fear of persecution in central europe.

• instability continues: the 1871 german revolution brought stability that briefly

reduced jewish immigration to the u.s. however, the spread of violent anti - jewish
pogroms across central and eastern europe (especially in romania, austria - hungary, and
russia) soon sparked widespread flights to the u.s.

• immigration boom: from 1880 to 1924, some 2 million jews (mostly fleeing europe or

attracted by the job market) immigrated to america, but that rate was soon cut down by
new immigration quotas.
what became the backbone of many early jewish
communities in america?
their industrial employment
their eastern european heritage
their shared religious practice

Explanation:

The text states that early Jewish communities in America established "synagogue communities" where the backbone of social life was shared faith and religious practice. This directly identifies the backbone of these communities.

Answer:

their shared religious practice