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“A migration is the result of the ‘push and pull’ between two territories. It
takes place when there is a strong enough attractive force from one side, or
an expelling force from the other. On the whole, a migration is the result of
the reciprocal action between these two forces” (Kulischer, 1943, p. 12)
Introduction
and his immigration to America. In particular, we will consider the “push and
pull” factors that forced him out of Polish Russia and drew him to the United
States. We will compare his immigrant experience as a young Jewish boy and
his life in America with some of the larger ethnic trends of early twentieth
century Jews. His particular experiences are drawn from personal interviews,
taken from scholarly journals, relevant books and some internet accounts.
Those within the Pale of Jewish Settlement were not at rest in 1895, the
crowned in 1894 after the untimely death of his father, Tsar Alexander III
(1881-94) (Kurth, 1998, p. 32, 46-7). For the previous thirteen years, Russian
Jews had been “made to pay” for the assassination of the “tsar liberator,”
Alexander II (1855-81)(Lindemann, 1997, p. 62), who had freed the serfs and
had reformed the Jewish military laws of Tsar Nicholas I (1825-55). The new
policies had failed. Alexander III purposed to return the Russian Empire to a
stronger autocracy than ever. The Jews could breathe more freely under the
reign of Alexander II, but in 1881, they were accused of complicity in his
assassination. Thus, began the era of pogroms (Pearce, 2000). Tsar Nicholas
II, perhaps out of family loyalty, said that he would pursue the same policies
Jack was born May 15, 1895 in Lomza in the west region of the Russian
Pale, which later became part of Poland. Starting with Empress Catherine the
Great (1762-96) (Ascher, 1972, p. 164) the majority of the Jews throughout
the Empire had been relocated to the large restricted area stretching from
Eastern Poland through the Ukraine to the Black Sea (Lindemann, 1997, p.
62). Many restrictions established under Nicholas I had been reversed under
Alexander II, but during the reign of Alexander III, previous privileges and
“During the year 1881 there were pogroms in 215 places, even in such
urban centers as Odessa, Kiev, and Warsaw” (Pinson, 1946, 131). Between
1881 and 1905 the worst of the pogroms occurred in the Pale of Settlement
during a 3 month period in 1905, 96 Jews were killed, the synagogue was
assaulted, the Jewish Quarter was bombed, and individual Jews on the streets
Altschul Immigration 4
were terrorized. Bialystok was the site of another pogrom on June 1, 1906
when 78 Jews were killed and 84 severely injured (Wiesenthal, 1986, pp. 94-
Bialystok was a snapshot of the 670 pogroms that exploded throughout the
Pale after the failed October revolution of 1905 (Pinson, 1946, p. 138):
“In the Pale, the Jews feared everything: the tsar, the
government, the army, and the law. For them, the Pale would always
growing movement for Jewish freedom. More and more Jews came to
Yet Jack’s family did have some special privileges. In our family history,
it has come down to us that Herzl Altschul, Jack’s father, was a well-to-do
proprietor of an inn (Altschul, 1979, p. 5). They were among the few Jewish
families in Lomza that actually owned their own property and business. Thus,
their inn was sanctioned by the Russian government (Strell, 2003). My father
This was in keeping with the historical realities of the time. In 1882, the
infamous May Laws were published placing many limitations on the owning,
restrictions were issued regarding the sale of liquor in inns or taverns of Jews.
Only those who actually owned their residence or place of business could do
so. That my great-grandfather kept his inn indicated they were indeed “well-
Altschul Immigration 5
to-do” (Altschul, 1979, p. 5; Melle, 2002), and actually owned their property
Jack was the middle child of 10 brothers and sisters. Two of his brothers
would join him in America. Benjamin, the oldest, came first and David, the
youngest, came after the First World War. However, his father Herzl, his
mother Fanny (maiden name Markowitz), and his other sisters and brothers
went from bad to worse. There were 11,000 Jewish residents in Lomza at the
beginning of World War II. By the end of the war, not one Jewish soul in
Lomza remained. The 8000 that didn’t die by the Aktions (where the Nazis
would have the Jews dig a ditch and shoot them) were then taken either to
468-9). All that would remain of Herzl Altschul’s legacy on earth now rested
French forgery that had been translated into Russian, called The Protocols of
shows that its distribution throughout Russia (and the Pale) came, not
because of the secret police, the Okhranka, but due to a growing religious
belief that the Antichrist was soon to appear and that Zionism was his
Altschul Immigration 6
killers” and the Passover “blood-libels” had continued to have been used
since the medieval period to justify European discrimination against the Jews
(Lindemann, 1997, pp. 35-9; Ruud & Stepanov, 1999, pp. 246-48; Marcus, J.
R., 1990, p. 127). Due to existing labor competition issues between the Jews
and peasant Russians and Poles, the Prologues provided new religious
ideology for the pogroms. It should be noted that this forgery was later used
Russia, the other significant factor in Jack Altschul’s emigration from Poland
was the family’s concern over serving in the Tsarist Army. The failure of the
(Lindemann, 1997, p. 302). The history of life under Tsar Nicholas I was still
very much alive in Jewish shtetls, the villages throughout the Pale. During
that period, for purposes of conversion and assimilation, young Jewish boys
were drafted and forced to serve for 25 years. The draft included boys from
12 to 25 years, but sometimes children “of eight and ten were listed as
twelve and over” to complete the quotas of the ‘catchers’ (Pinson, 1946,
pp.126-7). Under Tsar Alexander II, the 25 years were reduced to 6 years,
based on a draft lottery among all classes of the empire. But with the
promised return to previous policies, many Jewish mothers were sure that
this would include the army (Smitha, 2003). Mistreatment of Jewish soldiers
Altschul Immigration 7
during the Russo-Japanese War assured them that the future for young
Jewish men was bleak. 47 of the nearly 3000 Jewish soldiers who lost their
lives in the Russo-Japanese conflict were from the area of Lomza, including
one Altschul (Feldblyum, 1998). Then, after brave service, the defeat was
and David Altschul, the family needed to find a way to get them to America.
Indeed, Benjamin’s daughter, Helen, confirmed that the primary reason they
left Lomza was “to avoid serving in the Tsar’s army” (Strell, 2003).
Russo-Japanese War in 1905. When Jack Altschul arrived in 1908 this same
(Marger, 2003, p. 524). Portraying this idea, Horace Kallen wrote, “Men may
Altschul Immigration 8
change their clothes, their politics, their wives, their religions, their
There were two factors that especially drew young Jack to America. The
first were the accomplishments of his Uncle Louis. The second was the “chain
migration” from Uncle Louis and his brother Benjamin. The goldeneh medina
(Sagan, 1993), i.e. the “Golden Land” of America, must have looked like
Louis Altschul, brother of Herzl, had come to the United States in 1891.
He started in the fur business and then was able to move into real estate,
and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, founder of the Bronx Hospital,
was the epitome of the American dream accomplished in a very short period
of time. His story was consistent with those who did “make it:” “If they
remained in the garment industry, it was unusual for such men to become
extremely rich – multimillionaires, say. The really big money was elsewhere,
Altschul Immigration 9
in real estate and liquor, the movies and junk” (Howe, 1976, p. 162). Uncle
business. At first he also stayed with Uncle Louis. They sponsored Jack’s
customs, he had to tell them that he was 16. This example of “chain-
come, was consistent with many of the Jewish immigrants at the time:
1908 and 1914 had their passage paid for by relatives. In contrast,
among non-Jews, less than half that fraction (29 percent) received such
Life in America
The scene, I was told, was straight out of Little Lord Fauntleroy. My
Uncle Louis would have them come down nightly to a formal dinner at a very
long table, attended to by maids, with many settings of silver, and, of course,
proper attire. Often he and Uncle Louis would sit across from each other at
the opposite ends of this very long table. He felt like he was in prison with no
social life. Uncle Louis had a reputation for “iron discipline” (Altschul, 1979,
p. 5; Altschul, 2003). Not far away were the exciting parts of the city. So, one
Although, for his decision to run away, Jack was disowned and written
out of his Uncle Louis’s will, this same uncle secretly made sure that he was
taught the fur trade. Jack’s brother-in-law, Sam Jacobs, was also in New York,
who taught my grandfather the fur business. He apparently was the conduit
for Uncle Louis’s secret kindness. Only later did we know about the contact
with Uncle Louis. Uncle Sam, throughout our family history, is always
remembered for his kindness and love. It was a clear example of both chain
migration and the familial help of many Jewish families that immigrated to
Uncle Sam told my Aunt Joann that they stayed in a “little hole in the
wall” in New York while they struggled to make it in furs (Altschul, J., 2003).
They lived in the middle of the garment district. “The Jewish immigrants were
more than half of the immigrant workers have previous working experience”
(Kahan, 1978, p. 238). Kahan also includes “fur goods” in the clothing
industry.
While wages were kept low, flexibility and stability were maximized.
Indeed, “mobility was insured.” First, Uncle Sam moved to St. Louis,
opposite sides during the War. The German advance had liberated many
Germany with favor and hope” (Lindemann, 1997, p. 397). Thus, due to the
Altschul Immigration 12
German favor bestowed on the Jews of the Pale at this time, David fought on
After the war, Jack joined Uncle Sam in St. Louis. Together, they
continued to cut, sew and sell furs. In 1920, they sponsored their younger
brother David, who remained in St. Louis the rest of his life. In St. Louis Jack
met the beau of his life, my grandmother Dorothy, a young Southern Belle
In our family history, it was said that neither Jack nor Benjamin was
the disillusionment and anger of many young people, the call for returning to
Palestine, or the lure of the goldeneh medina, many let go of the ancient
After falling in love with Dorothy Tolbert, they were faced with a
goyisher girl! Jack came from a family with a history of rabbis, Talmudic
came from the Alt-schul or “old synagogue” in 15th century Prague, where
1971; Brody, H., Milwitzky, W., Singer, I., & Porter, A., 2002).
Altschul Immigration 13
a year while Jack returned to New York and they could make a decision on
marriage. About a year later they were married in a civil ceremony in St.
Louis. They were later married by a rabbi to placate Jack’s family in New
York” (Altschul, 1979, p. 6). The vacillation speaks to the struggle with
assimilation for many Jewish immigrants (Lindemann, 1997, pp. 534, 543).
For the rest of his life, although he never formerly joined a church, with
Dorothy “he attended church Sunday and worshipped daily” (Altschul, 1979,
p. 6). I remember speaking with him in 1972 when he told me, “I accepted
It was while Jack and Dorothy were living in St. Louis that they gave
birth to their first child, William, my father, in 1923. During the depression,
Jack had to sell his company and moved to Kansas City to work for a larger
fur company, Alaskan Furs. Myron Wang, the current owner, remembers how
his father, Phil, and my grandfather spoke Yiddish together. During that time
he worked as a fur mechanic and in sales, doing fur shows with Meyer Finkel
and Son, a fur repair shop on 46th and Troost Avenue where he worked until
he retired in 1965.
in that most notable of Hasidic virtues – joy! “Perhaps we should also look to
the influence of Hasidism for the secret of the well-springs of joy. Good cheer
did not stop sparkling in Jews even in the later pre-Holocaust period when
Altschul Immigration 14
(Klepfisz, 1986, p. 355). My grandfather Jack was noted for his joy, his humor
and his jokes! Once I remarked about how funny “granddaddy” was to my
much pain. He doesn’t like to talk about his past” (Altschul, 2003). For Jack
Altschul, the “joy of Yiddish” was a major coping tool in his American
Conclusion
of Russia, the racial discrimination, and the possibility of being drafted into
In addition, his coming to the United States because of the pull of the
pattern of most of the over two million Jewish immigrants between 1880 and
1924. His experiences in the garment district coincide with the vast majority.
His moving into the Midwest as a result of the expanding garment economy
Jack’s decisions to run away from his Uncle Louis and to marry Dorothy
set him at variance with the Jewish norm. Intermarriage is still regarded by
the Jewish community (Lindemann, 1997, pp. 534, 543). Yet for Jack it was
Altschul Immigration 15
“land of the free and the home of the brave.” Perhaps Edna Finkel, daughter
of Phil Wang, the founder of Alaskan Furs summed up Jack’s life the best
when she said, “Your grandfather was very Jewish! But, he married a Gentile
woman! So, what was he to do? He had to live his life!” (Finkel, 2003)
Altschul Immigration 16
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pp. 5-6.
Ascher, A., (1972) The Kremlin. New York: Newsweek Book Division, 164.
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http://www.bfcollection.net/fast/rjmain.html and
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Finkel, E., (2003) Recollections of Jack Altschul. Interview conducted November 6, 2003 by Fr.
David Altschul
Gold, S. J., (1999, Spring) From ‘The Jazz Singer’ To ‘What a County!’ A Comparison of Jewish
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Altschul Immigration 17
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