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Overview
Context is critical to understanding history.
It’s said that the beating of a butterfly's wings in
Kansas
can cause a typhoon in
China. Accordingly, I’ve tried to
present an overview of the social, economic, and political events which
helped shape the Fuchs' lives. Although, they were most likely unaware
of these outside forces, these events impacted them enormously. No one
lives in a vacuum.
Family ancestors probably immigrated to
Lithuania
as part of the general late middle ages Jewish emigration from economic
and political anti-Semitism in Western Europe.
The Poles who ruled the greater Baltic area encouraged Jewish
emigration to stimulate economic growth by forming a controllable
middle/merchant class. Why
the Jews? Jewish religious law mandates all male children be educated so
that can participate in religious observance.
This literacy made Jews economically useful to many local rulers.
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