Two of the largest groups were the Italians and the Jews. Upon coming to America, both groups lived very similar and also very different lives at the same time. This paper will explore the common ground between the two groups, as well as the differences in their experiences. Jews and Italians both fled their countries for different reasons, but came to America with the same hope for a better life and more opportunity. As they settled in America, both groups faced different hardships and struggles, but both groups were determined to live the American dream.
One of the biggest differences between the Jews and the Italians were their occupations upon coming to America. Italians fled from Italy because of the severe economic poverty, and came to America in hopes of achieving more financial stability. Italian professionals, such as lawyers or doctors, rarely emigrated to America. Thomas Kessner notes that if they did come to America, they faced “bitter disillusionment and are often forced to take up humble and arduous occupations”, meaning they had to take work that was below their degree or their profession back in their home country.
Italian lawyers did not know American law enough to practice it in America, and doctors had difficulties making a living if they did not establish clientele within their own cultural group (Kessner, Thomas 34). The struggles in America changed the Italian attitude, and a lot of them longed to go back to Italy when they found that America was tougher than they had believed it to be. Half of the Italian professionals were musicians, sculptors, and people in the creative or entertainment fields. Because of the growing demand for entertainment in New York, so this group made out well. 84% of immigrants took on banker, servant, merchant, or manufacturer jobs (Kessner, Thomas 36).
Majority of Italian immigrants were either farm or common laborers back in Italy, which was an essential peasant status. In America, they refused to continue those occupations or take on farm work. Those who worked had a determined attitude and an outstanding work ethic, willing to work hard and work from early in the morning until late at night. On the other hand, Russian Jews that migrated to America were not professionals. Back in their country, they were constricted heavily on what they could do. Thus, they came to America to seek more freedom and escape the genocide of their people.
The skills that they were allowed to practice back home were brought with them and practiced in America because that was what they knew. Thomas Kessner notes that there were over 145,000 tailors, 23,000 shoemakers, and 17,000 clerks and accountants. Most Jews did not even have a field of work, which differed greatly from Italians. This was because most of the Jews who migrated to America were women and children. Jews and Italians also differed in their incomes. Kessner states that the mean income for Italians between 1899 and 1910 was $19.45, meanwhile Jews had an average of $20.09 (Kessner, Thomas 42).
Italians were considerably poorer. Jews and Italians faced many struggles coming to America, but they differed greatly. From income, to occupations, to their attitudes, the two groups had defined differences. Even though Italians and Jews differed, they also shared similar hardships. For instance, they shared the same illiteracy problem. Coming to America, they had to learn an entire new language, which is very difficult to do. Because they were illiterate, they were narrowing their goals and standards to the “thinnest line of existence” (Kessner, Thomas 40).
Kessner notes that 26-27% of Jews and Italians both entered America stating that they could not read or write. They both shared similar reasons for why they were illiterate. In their home countries, females were not allowed to be schooled, so they could not learn to read or write. Both groups were severely restricted in their home countries, so they could not receive an education where they could learn to read or write. As a result, when they came to America, they were severely limited with what they could do. They sold themselves short, and took jobs that they normally would not do back home simply because they could not understand or write in English.
This discouraged them from going for better jobs. Both groups suffered from prejudice and discrimination in America. Jews were victims of anti-semitism, and were still barred from doing certain things in America. Italians experienced the same prejudice as well, and as a result, the Jews and the Italians stayed in their respective groups. For example, Little Italy in New York City was formed so that Italians could be more comfortable with people that share the same cultural background as them. As a result of prejudice and discrimination, the two groups stayed together in their own respective cultural groups (Kessner, Thomas 41).
The “Birds of Passage Syndrome” was a practice where immigrants would come to America, and had no intent on becoming citizens. Instead, they earned enough income to send back to their country and support their families there. This was not a common practice, although people still did it. It was determined that those who went back home with their incomes were the least successful, and those who stayed in America and moved their families to America eventually, were most successful. The “Birds of Passage” syndrome was more common within the Italian immigrant group.
Jews often moved to America as families, so they did not have many people back home to send money back to. Italians, however, came from a peasant background, and often migrated to America individually. Once they tested the waters of the life in America, they then decided if they would send money back home or if they would move their entire family to America, which is what many of them did (Kessner, Thomas 42). The Russian Jews and Italians had very different backgrounds, but experienced some of the same driving forces that pushed them out of their countries. When they arrived in America, they had very different occupations. They faced some of the same struggles, such as prejudice and discrimination, or the common struggle of illiteracy. They had different attitudes towards their work and living in America. The Russian Jews and the Italians faced a difficult challenge in a foreign country, and each group handled it differently. They shared their differences, but they also had common ground.
