Western Vs. Eastern European Jews

Western Vs. Eastern European Jews In this essay I will be discussing the second question on the sheet. This question asks to compare and contrast what Jewish life was like in Eastern Europe compared to the Jewish lifestyle in Western Europe. To understand what lead to the differences seen between Jews in these two regions, it is important to see how they ended up where they did and the history that came with them. The Jewish people came to Europe with the Romans, and had settled in many places throughout Europe. Because they originally lived under strict Christian rule, many of their rights and freedoms were limited. They were even told where they could move to and did not have the freedom to settle where ever they wanted. Sometimes they were not allowed to buy property or homes
In bigger cities where the Jewish population might be larger, some stuck with their tradition or culture but for the most part, the Jews in Western Europe blended more with the native people. They started to accept German culture and tried to be accepted in the community by speaking German going to see German plays and doing business with German shops and banks. They lived very much like a typical German trying to be part of the community they were in. It would be difficult to identify a Jewish person apart from anyone in else in the country. They were loyal to Germany and did not want to embrace anything different that could risk being accepted completely. They were advancing in business and other professions, and entering the middle class. They did not want to jeopardize progress they had made. Especially in Berlin, Jews began to advance in many areas, journalism, and science among them. While life for Jews in Western Europe seemed be changing for the better, the Eastern Jews had a different experience, especially those in