85 From the book: A HISTORY OF THE GREATEST LIES 30 In Western Europe, the expulsion and persecution of the Jews pushed them further and further to the East. Columbus's discovery of America allowed many Jews to travel to the New World in search of a better life. The assimilation of European Jews was hampered by the formation of national ideologies and unabated anti-Semitic concepts. The annexation of the Polish-Lithuanian lands to Russia, where Jews lived in large colonies, led to an increase in anti-Semitic sentiments. After the death of Alexander II, riots and riots intensified. The restriction in rights pushed the Jewish population to emigrate.