"Wendy Freebourne writes:

"Can anybody tell me how immigrants >from Russia would have travelled to
London, England at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries?
So far, and it is early days, I have found no records. I also wonder how
relatively poor people with several children managed the cost."

Professor Nicholas Evans is giving two talks on this exact topic at
the Latvia luncheon and as a regular session at the IAJGS Conference
in Boston this August:

The Russian American Line and Direct Jewish Emigration to New York

Between 1900 and 1924 a direct emigrant route between Libau (modern
Latvia) and America (New York) provided tens of thousands of Eastern
European Jews with a direct method of emigration >from Imperial Russia.
Though more often known as a conduit for indirect emigration the port
of Libau (modern day Liepaja) was crucial in the westward migration of
Eastern European Jews. Situated within six hours of Vilna tracing
emigrants through this route provides a fascinating understanding of
how Jews were tracked by Russian and US agencies as they migrated to
America's eastern seaboard. Utilising recently available medical
inspection reports of Federal Immigration officials this illustrated
talk demonstrates how it is possible to recreate the experiences of
these emigrants.

Jewish Refugee Travel Across the North Atlantic on the Eve of the Shoah

On the eve of the Shoah tens of thousands of Jews sought to flee to
the west through the passenger operations of transoceanic shipping
companies in Western Europe and America. This illustrated lecture
provides an insight into Jewish travel before and during Hitler's rise
to power. Utilising the archives of shipping companies it will bring
to life the process of emigration for Orthodox Jewish refugees between
1933 and 1939.

If you can't attend the conference, there are usually audio tape
recordings of these talks...

Pamela Weisberger
Santa Monica, CA
pweisberger@...