Exploration

​To explore is the act of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area. Although the Jewish exploration to the Americas was not for the purpose of pleasure or learning, their escape of persecution gave them the necessity to explore new lands. 
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Jews escaping Germany and going to the Americas. Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The St. Louis passengers also failed to gain entry into the United States, which, for some, symbolizes U.S. government indifference to the fate of persecuted Jews during the Holocaust." -Allan Lichtman and Richard Breitman 

A group of German Jewish refugees in a German Jewish relief organization. Source: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York

​​​​In the Americas, Jews had to explore the idea of a new life. A life without religious persecution and German culture. ​

"Jewish immigration in the 20th century was fueled by the Holocaust, which destroyed most of the European Jewish community. The migration made the [Americas] the home of the largest Jewish population in the world." -Jon Porter

Encounter

An encounter is an unexpected meeting with someone or something and is sometimes difficult. ​Jews encountered many hardships while finding a place to call home.  They had to follow strict laws and pay taxes for passage out of Germany.  

Ilse Sara Weil's German passport, issued in May 1940. A passport was one of the many documents required to leave Germany. Emigrants also needed to pay an immigration tax, have a certificate from the Reich from the Ministry of Finance, have a custom declaration, and an entrance visa for another country. Source: Yad Vashem Document Archives

This chart shows the number of Jews emigrating from Germany to North America, Latin America, and South America by year. Please note that the time span of this chart does not completely cover the time-span of our research. Source: German Statistics and Documents

"Refugees from Nazism are now widely and popularly perceived as 'genuine,' but at the time German, Austrian and Czechoslovakian Jews were treated with ambivalence and outright hostility as well as sympathy (when exploring new countries) ." -Authors of Refugees in an Age of Genocide

A German Jewish family that encountered many hardships traveling to their new home. Source: Associated Press

This is an image representing the entire world Jewish population. One can see how the Jewish population in the Americas fits into the world Jewish population. Source: The Economist

Immigration quotas made it difficult for many to enter the Americas. For those who were fortunate to get into the Americas, they encountered language barriers, cultural differences and anti-semitic views once they arrived.

Exchange

The Kiever Synagogue, a Jewish house of worship, in Canada. Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia

To exchange is the act of giving one thing and receiving another. This is evident through the cultural blending that occurred once the Jews migrated to the Americas. 

"Real cultural diversity results from the interchange of ideas, products, and influences, not from the insular development of a single national style." -Tyler Cowen

As the Jews became more Americanized, cultural diffusion could be seen throughout food, language, and art. Unlike in Europe, Jews adopted the language of the countries they inhabited. 

This is Challah con Jalapeño which is a traditional Latin American Jewish bread. Source: Photoillustration Tablet Magazine

Gefilte Fish a la Veracruzana is a Mexican Jewish food served at special events and holidays. Source: Patricia Jinich

"Over time, Jews have forged culinary partnerships with many other cultures, merging traditions together and, occasionally, simply incorporating another culture's food into the Jewish canon." -Leah Koenig

Mole Latkes: A Hybrid Eastern European-Mexican Jewish Culture
​Time: 42 Seconds

Timeline