I've had a difficult time finding details of the path some (Ashkenazi) Jews took to end up in Romania/Ukraine by the 18th-20th centuries after the Jewish-Roman Wars of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Here are some clarifying and additional questions to tack on:
What were the main areas in which they stopped along the way?
How long did they stay in each place?
What was the reason moving again?
How did they decide which direction to go in each instance? For that matter, how did they decide which direction to go in the first place when leaving Jerusalem?
I understand that only a portion of those that set out in that general direction ended up in the area I'm asking about (Romania/Ukraine), and that may be why I've yet to come up with much on my own. I also understand that this question covers a huge swath of history, so even partial answers are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the help. This is a brand new account, but I know you guys are great from experience.
Not sure if I can give you all the answers, but here is a start. Most of the Jews who went to Europe after the Jewish revolts didn't go willingly but were brought there as slaves. Roman slavery wasnt a permanent racially based slavery like in America though so most of these slaves ended up free after a few generations. After that the biggest factor that motivated Jewish migration was whether or not the local government was tolerant of Jews or not. In the 8th century, Charlemagne invited Jews into his kingdom, promising them rights that they didnt enjoy elsewere. According to legend, he invited two Rabbis from Sura (in modern day Iraq) to establish a Yeshiva in the hopes of coaxing more Jews to immigrate. Although there was already a small Jewish population there, this is what made the Rhine river valley into a major center of Judaism. By the middle of the 14th century, things had gotten didicult for the Jews in Germany what with the Crusades and being blamed for the black death. Around that time King Kasimir of Poland (I may be misremembering the name of the king) invited the Jews into his kingdom with the promise that they would be given the right to buy land and would be allowed to work for the government (oppurtinities they didnt have elsewhere). As the Kingdom of Poland expanded into what is now Ukraine (16th century) the Jews migrated into the newly conquered territory. Again this isnt the whole story, but it should give you a start. TL;DR The Jews migrated from Israel to Italy, to the Rhine river valley, to Poland and then to Ukraine, and the biggest factor that motivated where they migrated to was whether the local king would accept them or not.