b'10 ussianEmpireRPaleofSettlementTheOrigin,andHistoryofDiannesHeritageThePaleofSettlementwasawesternregionoftheRussianEmpirewherethevastmajorityoftheJewishpopulationwasconfinedbyRussianlaw.(Palemeanstheareaenclosedbyaboundary)AsImperialRussiaexpandeditsterritory.ThisexpansionincreasedtheJewishpopulation(estimatedat5million.About40%oftheworldsJewishpopulation).StrictmonotheismoftheJewsandhierarchicalsubmissionoftheCatholicstothePope,stoodinstarkoppositiontounderstandingunityofthestatebytheRussians.Thisiswhythecultureofthestatewasmarkedbythehostilitytowardsothers,theJewsandtheCatholics(mostlyPolish)inparticular.Whenalongwithconsecutiveannexationsof18thcenturyandearly19thcenturiesalargenumberofJewsfoundthemselveswithintheRussianborders.ForRussians,theideawastoprotectthecentralpartoftheRussianempirefromthem.TheTsarAlexanderII(1855-1881)expandedtherightsoftheJewishpopulationinthePale,onlytohavethosehopescrushedwiththeTsarsassassination.Anit-JewishsentimentskyrocketedwithTsarAlexanderIII.AttacksontheJewishpopulationhadalwaysoccurred.However,from1881-1884andsignificantly1903-1906.RussianOrthodoxChristianpeasantsandpolicehadtheirway,andfrequentlyraidedthesmalltownsinthePale.ThePogroms(Russianfortowreakhavoc),wasanefforttoofficially,selectivelyeliminatetheJewishpopulationTheextremelyrestrictivedecrees,lawsandrecurringPogromsledtomuchoftheemigrationfromthePale,mainlytotheUnitedstatesfrom1881to1914.(2millioncamethroughEllisIsland).DiannesGrandparentsandperhapsgreatGrandparentsEmigratedfromthePaleofSettlementduringthetimeofthepogroms.TheyhadlivedinproximitytoeachotherbutdidnotknoweachothersincemovementevenwithinthetownsofthePalewasalsoseverelyrestricted.ThesizeofthePalewasequaltothelandareaoftheoriginal13coloniesofAmerica'