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Most of the Jews who immigrated to the United States settled in enclaves within cities. The most famous one was the Lower East Side in New York. The neighborhood was known for its difficult living conditions – including overcrowding, backbreaking work in sweatshops, peddling, poverty and diseases – but also for the emergence of a vibrant Yiddish culture that included journalism and marvelous theater.
The communities in these enclaves formed organizations based on their original towns or regions in Europe (Landsmannschaften), in addition to trade unions and socialist workers organizations. Although most of the first-generation immigrants eked out a living in the textile industry, their children were born into the American reality. Many of them studied white collar professions and started successful businesses.
