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Between 1,000 and 15,000 Jews generally lived in a shtetl, constituting around one-third or more of the local population. They led their lives according to Jewish traditions and, for the most part, under the unofficial management of a group of well-to-do elders.
hebrew and Yiddish enlightenment literature, which flourished in the 19th century, dealt extensively with the shtetl. Most literary works were sharply critical of life in the shtetl: its debilitating poverty, religious fanaticism and the futility of human life. However, coupled with their sharp criticism, the authors also identified with the pitiable Jews and praised their devotion to each other and their family life.
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