United States
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Kosher and Jewish Life in United States
The United States of America declared independence from the UK in 1776, the first country to declare independence from a European country. The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture centre, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking. The United States, with its large size and geographic variety, includes most climate types. To the east of the 100th meridian, the climate ranges from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south. The Great Plains west of the 100th meridian are semi-arid. Much of the Western mountains have an alpine climate. The climate is arid in the Great Basin, desert in the Southwest, Mediterranean in coastal California, and oceanic in coastal Oregon and Washington and southern Alaska. Most of Alaska is subarctic or polar. Hawaii and the southern tip of Florida are tropical, as are the populated territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Because of wide diversity of geography and climate any number of different types of tourist activity can take place from city tours through beach holidays to camping and outward bound.

After passage of the Plantation Act of 1740, Jews were specifically permitted to become British citizens and immigrate to the colonies. Until about 1830, Charleston, South Carolina had more Jews than anywhere else in North America. Large scale Jewish immigration, however, did not commence until the 19th century, when, by mid-century, many Ashkenazi Jews had arrived from Germany, migrating to the United States in large numbers due to antisemitic laws and restrictions in their countries of birth. They primarily became merchants and shop-owners. There were approximately 250,000 Jews in the United States by 1880, between then and 1924 another 2 million Jews had arrived many of them settling in New York. Another large wave of immigration happened around the 2nd World War and by the 1940s the population had reached 4 million, the largest Jewish population in the world, this was to remain the case for the next 60 to 70 years. Because of the large number of Jews in almost every state in the US, kosher food and Jewish community facilities can be found almost everywhere. The areas with the largest Jewish population and hence the most kosher restaurants and facilities are New York, California, New Jersey and Florida. The first historical roots can still be seen in the synagogues of Charleston and South Carolina.
There are many Passover programs throughout the United States. Each year, there are more programs as people want to go away but don't want to leave the country. Be sure to check out our Guide to Passover Programs in the United States!