United States

Small numbers of Jews, of Sephardic origin, lived in America already in colonial times. Shortly after War of Independence, the first president of the United States, George Washington, famously assured Jews their peace in the new nation. Jewish numbers increased with the immigration of German Jews in the mid-19th century, but Jews in the U.S. did not achieve a significant presence until the early 20th century, when millions of Jews, fleeing oppression and poverty in the Russian Empire, arrived on the shores of the “Golden Land.”  

To be sure, Jews suffered the suspicions and worse of their neighbors with the emergence of “scientific” racism and the growth of antisemitism in early-to-mid-century. But the sheer size of the Jewish community, with its many resources, combined with legal protections rooted in the constitution, allowed Jews in the U.S. to flourish, reaching heights of educational, cultural, and professional accomplishment unexceeded by any other religious community. The unique Jewish flavors of the Lower East Side and similar neighborhoods gave way to Americanized Jewish homes and communities across the country. And despite nagging concerns of continued antisemitism, the U.S. remains one of the most comfortable Jewish homes of all time.