Your city's "Lower East Side"

[Docere]

There's a book called Frankfurt on the Hudson about the German-Jewish refugee community that developed in Washington Heights in the 1930s and 1940s.

Washington Heights attracted a lot of small town German Jewry and those from Frankfurt (which had more of a "modern orthodox" community I believe). The intelligentsia and professional classes from Berlin and Vienna went to the Upper West Side.

[edale]

Another thread to discuss NYC Jewish migration. How novel

[Steely Dan]

^ discussion forums only work when people actually, ya know, discuss things.

if there's an urbanism topic that you'd find more engaging, please bring it up!

[Docere]

Originally Posted by Docere

The Jewish population in Queens surpassed that of the Bronx in the 1960s.

Jewish population, 1940

Bronx 538,000 38.6%
Brooklyn 857,000 31.8%
Queens 115,000 8.9%

Jewish population, 1957

Bronx 493,000 34.6%
Brooklyn 854,000 32.8%
Queens 423,000 24%

Jewish population, 1970

Bronx 143,000 9.7%
Brooklyn 514,000 19.8%
Queens 379,000 19.1%

I assume the Bronx and Brooklyn were pretty socioeconomically similar in 1950, and there was no real socioeconomic difference between Bronx Jews and Brooklyn Jews (obviously far more variation between neighborhoods, than a "borough" difference).

Both declined significantly between 1950 and 1970, though Bronx declined more. But the two boroughs really diverged after 1970. Brooklyn had ultra-Orthodox population that really exploded since then and then there was immigration from FSU after 1970 as well. Today there's still around 500,000 Jews in Brooklyn (but obviously more Hasidic and Russian). Meanwhile the Bronx has few Jews now.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by Docere

I assume the Bronx and Brooklyn were pretty socioeconomically similar in 1950, and there was no real socioeconomic difference between Bronx Jews and Brooklyn Jews (obviously far more variation between neighborhoods, than a "borough" difference).

Both declined significantly between 1950 and 1970, though Bronx decline mored. But the two boroughs really diverged after 1970. Brooklyn had ultra-Orthodox population that really exploded since then and then there was immigration from FSU after 1970 as well. Today there's still around 500,000 Jews in Brooklyn Meanwhile the Bronx has very, very few Jews now.

I wouldn't be surprised if 1950-era Bronx Jewish populations were somewhat wealthier and better educated than their Brooklyn counterparts. In 1950, Brownsville was the largest Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn. Brownsville was poor and full of garment workers. The largest Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx was the Concourse, which was middle/upper middle class and fairly educated. Those were the business owners and some professionals.

Of course, the 1950-era Orthodox population was miniscule. Brooklyn's Jewish population was overwhelmingly Conservative or Reform at that point.

[Docere]

That makes sense. Also more likely to able to move to Queens or Westchester or Bergen.

And Brooklyn attracted more Holocaust survivors. Hasidim in Williamsburg, Crown Heights and Borough Park. I believe Brighton Beach/Coney Island had a large contingent of non-Hasidic DPs (the Russian Jews who came after 1970 included a lot of survivors as well).

Disagreement on few Orthodox. "Orthodox" meant something different then than it does today. Jewish immigrants tended to attend Orthodox shuls but didn't necessarily live Orthodox lifestyles. In Eastern Europe, virtually all synagogues were Orthodox. Today being "nominally Orthodox" is less of a thing in North America (though it still is a thing in Montreal, interestingly, as well as in the UK).

Reform was more for the long-established German and "uptown" Jews until probably the 1960s. Conservative Judaism was the dominant stream for the second generation, who largely came of age around WWII. Conservative Judaism has more Hebrew and traditionally discouraged intermarriage. It was really the third generation that strongly embraced Reform.

[Docere]

Boyle Heights was the heart of Jewish Los Angeles in the interwar period, but also had sizeable Mexican and Japanese communities.

https://jewishjournal.com/community/94128/

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/magazine/b...angeles-alumni

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/f.../viva-pastrami