Final answer:
Jewish people fled the Russian Empire to escape poverty and persecution, specifically violence known as pogroms, leading many to seek refuge in the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jewish people fled the Russian Empire in the late nineteenth century to escape poverty and persecution. This persecution took the form of government-sanctioned attacks known as pogroms, during which violent mobs would destroy property and harm or kill Jews. The Tsarist autocracy fostered anti-Semitic attitudes, blaming Jews for a variety of societal issues and restricting their rights, including where they could live and work. After the horrifically violent pogrom in Odessa in 1905, which drew international condemnation, many Jewish refugees sought safety and better opportunities in countries like the United States, where American Jews helped to protect them from anti-Semitism.