SHTETL: What was FAMILY LIFE like in the Polish Shtetl in the 19th Century?

Question

Family Life in the 19th Century for Jewish people in the shtetls.

Answer 1

Based on some reading i've done in connection with my undergrad European History major, i would say that the families were generally living at the subsistence level.  Many did farming, and there were small tradesmen. I don't recall that the professional class was much in evidence, and bankers, if any, were at a very definite minimum.  It was not an overly pleasant existence, and anti-Semitism was an always present companion.