I am of Belarusian Jewish origin and I am looking to take on a project of blogging the history of Russian Jews that lived in the Pale of Settlement area prior to WWII. I am interested in how life was like before and during the war, what were the Jewish customs and practices of the shtetls, and why was it called the pale of settlement? I'd look forward to some answers here but additionally want to be pointed in the right direction of resources I can read up on that could help me answer the pale of settlement life and compare that with my families history.
Additionally, I am looking to incorporate a detailed family tree as far as I can expand it which includes where people lived, what they did as a profession, their roles in WWII, and of course the times they lived. What resource could I use to construct all of that?
Thank you in advance
There were frequent pogroms, which led to a lot of Jewish immigration to the United States and the Mandate of Palestine. Not all Jews lived in Shtetls of course.
If you're into family history, JewishGen is an excellent resource. Still, the information is somewhat limited. I'm not sure how likely you are to find occupations. Even the birth/death records are incomplete and there may be some sort of language barrier.