Jerli
The Jerli are a subgroup of the Roma who live mainly in Belarus , Latvia , Estonia , Northern Lithuania , Moldova , Bulgaria , Ukraine and in the far west of Russia . They used to make a living from cattle breeding , shows (acrobatics with people and animals), trade, kettle and umbrella patches, scissors grinding, spoon carving, blacksmithing , basket weaving , casual work and begging. From the end of the 19th century they sometimes ran stalls and carousels . Often the Jerli still maintain a nomadic way of life. Most of them are unemployed and hardly get any housing. Gypsies were persecuted in many countries in the early 19th century. Tens of thousands were killed. Today the number of Jerli is less than 1% in most countries.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ruth Leiserowitz: The Unknown Neighbors: Minorities in Eastern Europe. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2013 (on Google Books )