Pale of the Settlement

Doing some research into Jewish history and found at that during the last century (give and take about 2 decades) of the Russian empire Jews were forbidden to settle beyond something called by historians the "Pale of the Settlement". The region, which corresponds to what are the most European of the former soviet republics, at it's height was home to over 5 million Jews (apparently 40% of the world population of Jews at that time). Near the end of the 19th century reforms allowed nearly 2 million of the Jews living on the Pale to migrate to the US.

Today the American Population of Jews is over five million, and New York City has more Jews than any other city in the world.

Interesting.