Why did the family leave Medzilaborice?
They left for economic reasons. I could find no evidence of anti-Semitism in this region nor any mention of pogroms (Jews of Zempplen.doc). Also, in the last quarter of the 19th century, steamship passage recruiters were hired by the steel companies of Pennsylvania to hire laborers for the mills. The recruiters would visit depressed economic areas such as eastern Slovakia to find people. But networking between America and Europe was strong. Early immigrants kept their families remaining in Austria-Hungary up to date and encouraged relatives to take a chance on economic betterment.
From Birnkrant 1.0, by Jack Heller
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