Between 1881 and 1924, over two million Eastern European Jews immigrated to the United States, fleeing persecution, poverty, and pogroms in czarist Russia and Poland. This was the largest wave of Jewish immigration in U.S. history and was driven by the promise of freedom and opportunity in the New World. The immigrants settled primarily in the tenements of New York City's Lower East Side, transforming American urban life and culture. This mass migration established the foundation of the modern American Jewish community.

The Eastern European Jewish immigration wave is a defining subject in American Jewish literature, providing the backdrop for the works of authors like Abraham Cahan, Anzia Yezierska, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Their stories and novels explore the immigrant experience, the tension between tradition and assimilation, and the struggles of life in the New World. The poetry and prose of this era gave voice to a new American identity, shaping a rich literary tradition that continues to thrive.