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The First Wave of Russian Immigration
The first Russian settlers in America were fur traders who crossed the Bering Strait into Alaska around the middle of the 18th century. Members of persecuted religions such as the Molokan and Orthodox crossed the strait to escape the religious discrimination pressed upon them by the Russian government. The migration stopped in 1867 when Russia sold Alaska to the United States. -
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Russification
From the years 1880 to 1914, there was another wave of immigration from Russia coming to the United States, which included a high amount of poor peasants and persecuted Jews. In 1870, a period of what is called "Russification" began; the government of Russia created a policy to try to stamp out different ethnic groups within the country. There was much discrimination towards the Jews of Russia, causing many deaths. These conditions led to a huge influx of immigrants of Russian Jews. -
Post Bolshevik Revolution
Groups of skilled Jewish Russian laborers came to America after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Most of these immigrants lived in New York City, the lower east side, an area which still has a high Jewish influence. -
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Soviet Russian Immigration
The most recent wave of Russian immigration, the 4th wave in the 1960s, had many reasons behind it. Many Jews were leaders in a movement among easter block intellectuals to create an end to human rights violations and to provide more immigration rights for Jews in the Soviet Union. The Arab Israeli War of 1967 also brought emotions to the Soviet Jews; more than ever, these people wanted the right to live and pray in Israel. -
Brighton Beach
Soviet Jews have formed flourishing communities in NYC, most prominent is their community in Brighton Beach, which stands on the edge of Brooklyn and on the Atlantic Ocean. The New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) helped the Soviet Jews search for a community for themselves. The NYANA believed that Brighton Beach was the perfect spot for the new Russian immigrants; Brighton Beach had a lot of cheap, solid housing available, cheap commercial space, and organized senior services program
