Jewish Slavery in the Nineteenth Century
Jewish slavery and prostitution of young Jewish teenage girls from the late nineteenth century through the early part of the twentieth century is a tragic fact that many, even most in the Jewish community, are not aware. Yet, young women, most of whom originated in the Pale of Settlement (far off territories by the Russian-Polish border), found themselves conned into leaving their impoverished families by dapper young men who came offering marriage and the promise of a comfortable and even luxurious life. These men were actually Jewish pimps, who worked in the white slavery trade, trafficking unsuspecting, young Jewish girls into a life of prostitution.
As young as sixteen these girls and their families were victims of an elaborate con game, in which a dapper young man traveled to a shtetl (small Jewish village) under the guise of seeking a bride. His target was finding an attractive girl whom he could persuade to marry him. Usually these girls came from a large impoverished family, often victims of pogroms (riots). He came bearing gifts and courted the girl long enough to get her confidence, as well as the permission of her parents or guardian to marry. This usually did not take very long, as it was not too difficult to convince them that the opportunity to forsake a life of poverty and danger in exchange for the promise of a comfortable, luxurious, and even exciting life in a big city such as London, Paris, or New York. Usually, the conman was so smooth, that he even convinced his fiance and her parents that the wedding would have to take place once they reached their destination, because he was afraid of being picked up for conscription into the military if he made himself too public. Other times, however, he did consent to a local family wedding, which in the scheme of things, meant nothing more than another cost of procurement. Consequently, it was not unusual for these men to use several aliases and be married to several women. Needless to say, the more women whom he could trick and kidnap into Jewish slavery, the greater his income.
With hopes of a better life for both herself and the family she left behind, Jewish girls set off to foreign ports including Liverpool and Southampton, with hopes of marriage, children, and modern comforts – never suspecting that they were to be victims of the Jewish slavery. The pimp usually did not disclose his true intention before placing his bride in her final destination, i.e. the bordello, in order to keep her from trying to escape. Even in cases where the girl attempted to escape, they were illiterate and did not speak English, and therefore unable to communicate their plight to any authority. The pimps were able to easily explain away any signs of hysteria to anyone who questioned the girl’s distressful behavior. Once they landed in the interim destination port, these girls were often raped and beaten until they were transported to New York, South America, South Africa, or the Far East; England usually served as a transit port, although some girls did remain there, albeit their fates were no different. Those women, who remained in England, were primary taken to the East End of London and sold there.
Written by Brenne Meirowitz, BA, MA, MS
