My great grandfather, Zalman Rudman, emigrated from Zaslav in what is now Ukraine in 1894. He came in through New York and settled in St. Louis. I would like to know if there was a particular reason why he traveled to and settled in St. Louis rather than in NY. To my knowledge, there were no other family members in St. Louis at the time of his arrival. Was there a community of landsmen from Zaslav or environs in St. Louis? Was there a program that encouraged Jewish immigrants to settle in St. Louis? Was something going on in St. Louis at the time that would have attracted immigrants?
I would appreciate any information, comments or ideas. Thank you.

BERNARD J RUDMAN