"And I Remained Alone in a Vast Land": Women in the Jewish Migration from Eastern Europe

Jewish emigration from Eastern Europe to lands overseas from the start of the twentieth century until the outbreak of World War I encompassed more than 1.5 million Jews seeking to flee the unbearable socioeconomic conditions that were their lot in the Russian Empire. Hundreds of thousands of these migrants were women and children who left to join their husbands and fathers already in the destination countries. This article traces the multifaceted migration process undergone by the Jewish immigrant woman—from her role in the decision-making process about where to move, to that fateful moment when she receives the tickets for the voyage from her husband and sets out on her way.