ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of migration of East European Jews in the modern period before World War I is by no means a neglected area of research. It is difficult to determine the degree and pattern of internal mobility of East European Jews before the end of the nineteenth century. One could point, of course, to dramatic events in the past, particularly persecutions and wars, which led to significant population movements. The first half of the nineteenth century saw a significant population flow. Tens of thousands of Jews moved from the Pale to southern Russia and to southern Ukraine, either out of a desire to take advantage of opportunities in an expanding economy or to settle on the land in the framework of a government plan to turn the Jews into farmers. In fact, Jews were probably more mobile than non-Jews, so this is a conservative working hypothesis. Religion and tradition precluded them from serving in the houses of non-Jews.
