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Former good articleHistory of the Jews in Russia was one of the History good articles, but it has been removed from the list. There are suggestions below for improving the article to meet the good article criteria. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.
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The Holocaust

The section in the article reads : 33,771 Jews of Kiev shot in ditches at Babi Yar. From what I have seen in a TV interview of one of the survivors, she said 300,000 thousand died, and only 300 survived (PBS Documentary Russia's War). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.247.18.146 ( talk • contribs) 17 August 2006.

Joseph Trumpeldor

There is signature under picture :> Joseph Trumpeldor, the most decorated Jewish soldier in the Russian Army for his bravery in the Russo-Japanese War: But on the picture i cant see any single order? Is somebody make a jock ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.16.183.57 ( talk • contribs) 30 October 2006.

Pale

This article appeared in Russian Yearbook 1912 (pp 704-707) under the title JEWS transliterated in this form to English;

As far as is known, the first Jewish immigrants reached Poland in very early times from countries on the Lower Danube and from the kingdom of Khazars who had accepted the Jewish faith. The national sagas and legends show their importance in this early era. At the end of the 11th century many entered Poland from Germany, and in 1264 Boleslas the Pious granted them numerous priviliges which were extended by Casimir the Great in 1334, in which year the great statue concerning of them, called Jus Magdeburgium, was enacted, followed another called the Privilegia Judaeorum in 1337. The Jews soon spread to Courland, Lithuania and the Ukraine, so that there were in the 18th century numbers of Jews living in Poland and on the Russian frontier, the prohibitive policy of that country making any movement across the border impossible. The law of 1789 gave the Jews the right to live in certain provinces, but in 1792 a great change took place. The first partition of Poland gave to Russia White Russia and part of Lithuania; the second in 1793, and the third in 1795 added the ten Vistula provinces, and in annexing this land, Russia obtained at least half of the entire Jewish race of as subjects. The Russian cencus of 1897 gave the total number of Jews in Russia as 5.215.805. In 1835 the Jews were by the "Code of the Rights of the Jews" confined to to certain districts of the Empire, these districts constituting the so called "Pale". The "Pale" consists of twenty - five of the provinces of the entire Russian Empire. It begins immediately south of the Baltic Provinces, streches throughout the west, and extends over the south as far east as the Don Cossack Territory. It covers about 362.000 square miles, or less than 20 per cent. of European Russia, and only a little over 4 per cent. of the entire Russian Empire. The "Pales" include;

1) In the Kingdom of Poland (or the region of the Vistula) the Province of Warsaw, Kalish, Kielce, Lomzha, Lioublin, Piortkoff, Plotsk, Radom, Souvalki and Siedlce.

2) In Lithuania, the Provinces of Vilna, Kovno and Grodno.

3) In White Russia, the Provinces of Minsk, Vitebsk and Moghileff.

4) In south-western Russia, the Provinces of Volhynia, Podolia, Kieff (expect the city of Kieff), Tchernigoff and Poltava.

5) In southern (new) Russia, the Provinces of Bessarabia, Kherson, Ekaterinoslaff and Taurida (except the city of Yalta).

The following specified classes of Jews are given privilege of domicile throughout the Empire:

1) Merchants of the first guild, i.e. merchants paying a very high business licence, after having paid that licence somewhere within the "Pale" for five consecutive years. This right of living anywhere in Russia, outside of the "Pale" lasts only as long as the payment of the licence is continued, but after ten annual payments the permanent right of domicile within the city in which the payment have been made is acquired.

2) Professional men and women, such as physicians, lawers, dentists, engineers, army surgeons, midwives, and graduates of universities and higher institutions of learning in general. as well as studets in such institutes.

3) Master-artisans working at their trade when admitted to their artisans´ guild, or possessing the necessary legal evidence of proficiency in their craft.

In all these cases the aquired right of domicile extends to the members of the family, and in the case of merchants of the first guild and the proffesional persons, to a limited number of servants and clerks of Jewish faith. In regard of the Jewish artisans, the lomitations are much more numerous, and in 1881 their further emigration from the "Pale" into the interior of the Empire was made exceedingly difficult, and the artisans who were living in the city, as well as in the government of Moscow, were compelled to leave. discharged soldiers form the considerable portion of jews permitted to live throghout Russian Empire, including the Grand Duchy of Finland; this right is granted only to those who served in the army prior to 1874. This class, therefore, cannot increase in number. The temporary sojourn outside the "Pale" of Jews who have no right of permanent domicile, is strictly limited by law to from six weeks to two monts, and then only in cases of proved necessity, such as law-suit, commercial transactions, or proving a will.

93.9 per cent. (4.879.640) of the Jews in Russia live in the "Pale", 4 per cent. (208.635) live in the remainder of European Russia, and 2.1 per cent. (109.530) live in all the Asiatic possessions of the Empire. Thus most of the Jews live in the "Pale", but they constitute only 11.6 per cent. of the entire population. Everywhere in the "Pale" there is terrible congession of the Jews, both in towns and cities, due, in the main, to the Laws of 3 May 1882, which were promulgated as a result of the Jewish riots of 1881. These laws prohibited the further settlement of Jews outside cities and towns, and in practice meant the expulsion of multitudes of Jews from villages where they had already settled. In 1891, by the new law, thousands of Jews were expelled from Moscow and forced forced to live in the "Pale", and Jews were prohibited from buying land or renting it from the peasants. In 1897,of the total urban population of the "Pale" 37.7 per cent. were Jews. It must here be stated that there are villages called "Miestechkoes", where Jews have the right to settle; in every case the Jews have made these into the commercial centres for the numerous outlying Russian villages.

In the "Pale" 29 per cent. of the Jews are engaged in agriculture, and 32 per cent. in commerce, whilst 63.2 per cent of the non-Jews are engeged in agriculture and only 1.4 per cent. in commerce. It is calculated that a Jewish agricultural household´s annual budget is 300 Roubles = about £ 30, but the average annual earnings are not more than 139 Roubles = £ 14. The average plot of ground owned ny a Jewish colonist is smaller than that of his Russian peasant neighbour. Thus in 1897 in the six north-western provinces and four south-western provinces, the Russian peasant had on the average 6.1 and 4.7 acres respectively, but the Jewish peasant had 4.1 and 1.9 acres. In the whole Empire 6.422.684 acres are in Jewish hands, Of this quantity 4.336.829 acres are in the "Pale", but this is only 1.5. per cent. of the whole agricultural land in the "Pale". In Poland, of the land occupied by the Jews, 86 per cent. is ownwed, and 14 per cent. is leased. In the remaining provinces of "Pale" 32.5 per cent. is owned and 67.5 per cent leased.

The following are the most important enactments and Senatorial decisions, given in chronologial order;

1892 17 February. In accordance with a proposal of the Imperial Council, the mining industry in Turkestan is closed to Jews.

1892 2 Juni. An Imperian order, following a proposal of the Imperial Council, to the effect that throughhout the governments of Tiflis, Kutais, Baku and Elisavetpol, as well as in the State domains and privately owned lands in the province of Kouban and Terek, the acquisition or exploitation of oil-fields by Jews, as well as their adminstration, shall be allowed only by special permission of the Ministers of Interior and of Finance, as wellas of the Caucasian Commander-in-Chief.

1892 11 June. A decision of the Imperial Council that Jews shall not take part in municipal elections, and that they shall be excluded from municipal adminstrative positions. Within the "Pale", however, the adminstration expects a certain number of Jews, who are eligble for election as municipal councillors, but their number must not exceed one-tenth of the whole body, and is to be fixed by the Minister of Interior.

1892 18 June. A law establishing a special right of residence in the provinces of Kouban and terek. The indigenous Jews may remain in the places where they are registered, but only in these places, their liberty of movement thus being restricted. All other Jews, with a few exceptions, are forbidden to settle in provinces. the four privilidged categoties have had their rights curtailed. Those Jews who are allowed to remain are forbidden to acquire or rent further property.

1892 15 October. Withdrawal of the righ of residence in the government of Moscow (including the town itself) from soldiers of the old regime (so called "Nikolai" soldiers).

1893 14 January. A circular of the Minister of the Interior cancels the orders of the former Ministers Makov and Tolstoi (21 April 1882), establishing the principle that all Jews who had settled outside the "Pale" prior to April 3 1880, should be left undisturbed.

1893 24 May. an order excluding the health resort of Jalta (the faourite summer resicence of the Imperial family in the Crimea) from "Pale" of settlement.

1893 6 October. A circular of the Medical Department fixing the "percentage rule2 for apothecaries´ apprentices at 3 per cent. of the total number in St.Petersburg and Moscow, and at 5 per cent. in all other places.

1894 30 November. A Senatorial decision to the effect that the Jews of Kieff cannot become merchants of the first Guild until they have paid their licence in some part of the "Pale" of Settlement for at least a year.

1894 23 December. A circular of the Minister of the Interior decreeing that Jews who have graduated as veterinary surgeons in the veterinary college are no longer be admitted to the service of the State.

1895 18 January. A Senarorial decision that rabbis possess no right of residence beyond the "Pale" of Settlement.

1895 27 January. A Senatorial decision depriving Jews of the right of residence in the fifty-verst boundary zone, even though they are possessed of diplomas procuring them the universal privilige of domicele, unless they are descendants of Jews who have been settled there from time immemorial. The same ruling had been made as far back as 1887 in the case of artisans and merchants of the firts Guild.

1895 27 January. A circular of the Minister of the War instructing the Cossack authorities in the Caucasus and the Don territory that Jews visiting the Don. Kouban, and terek provinces for the sake of medicinal waters are not to be admitted.

1895 13 September. A Senatorial decision depriving Jewish agriculturists of the right to rent land outside the precincts of the towns and townlets. A similar decision of later date applies to artisans.

1896 9 March. A regular of the Military Council ordering Jewish soldiers, inless they belong to the privilidged categories, must not spend their forlough outside "Pale" of Settlement.

1897 31 January. A Senatorial decision to the effect that soldiers of the old regime possess no right of residence in the Caucasian provinces of Joubain and Terek.

1897 31 January. A senatorial decision according to which ink-makers are not rank as artisans, and consequently do not possess the universal right of domicile. the latter decisions applies the same ruling to tobacco workers.

1897 26 March. A Senatorial decision that outside the "Pale" of Settlement students as such (unless they possess a special domiciliary privilege) are entitled to the right of residence only in the unversity town whwre they are studying.

1897 26 March. A Senatorial decision that local Jews belonging to the merchants´ corporation of Riga are not entitled to transact business in the district of Riga.

1897 2 June. A law to effect that the admittance of Jewesses to the Women´s Higher Institute of Medicine in St.Petersburg is to be limited to 3 per cent. of the total number of students.

1897 13 November. An Imperial order depriving Jews and Jewesses studying pharmacy, or attending schools of surgery and midwifery respectively, of the right to residence in the town or government of Moscow for this purpose.

1898 18 February, 14 April, and 8 December. A Senatorial decision to the effect that fish-curers, piano-tuners and land surveyors do not belong to the privilidged artisan categories, and are therefore declared to be of non-priviliged occupations, thus possessing no right of residence beyond the "Pale" of Settlement.

1898 18 February. According to an earlier law, merchants of the first Guild, after paying Guild tax outside the "Pale" of Settlement for ten years consecutively, gained the universal right of residence even when they ceased to belong to the Guild.

1898 27 February. A Senarorial interpretation of the law limits this privilege to the town where the Guild tax has been paid.

1898 18 March. A Senatorial decision extends the restrictions relating to the right of recidence in Kouban and Terek to all artisans who have not been assigned to this region. Two years later (18 January 1900) a similar decision is applied to merchants of the first Guild.

1898 25 November. A Senatorial decision decides that Jews who are natives of Riga are not entitled to live in Livonia, but only in Riga and its suburbs.

1898 18 December. A Senarorial decision stating that the right of residence throughout the Empire which has been granted to various categories does not extend to Siberia.

1899 22 January. An Imperial order to the effect that, in the government of Moscow, Jews can be registered as merchants of the first Guild only by permission of the Minister of Finance and the Governor-General of Moscow.

1899 19 May. A Senatorial decision to the effect that the manufacture of mineral water, not being a handicraft, ranks among non-priviliged occupations, and therefore does not confer the right to residence outside the "Pale" of Settlement.

1899 28 May. A Senatorial decision that outside the "Pale" of Settlement the right of residence is vested only for those Jewish domestic servants whose masters possess university diplomas. No other categories of privileged Jews can transfer their domiciliary right to thir servants.

1899 6 October. A Senatorial decision stating that certificates gained by Jewish artisans in Courland are not valid for the rest of the Empire.

1899 14 October. A Senatorial decision according to which artisans living beyond "Pale" of Settlement are noot entitled to sell their own products in any other place than where they are domiciled.

1900 28 May. An Imperial order forbidding the entry of Jews who have acquired an hereditary title of nobility, in the Govenrmant register of nobles.

1900 5 June. A Senatorial decision ruling that compositors, not belonging to the artisan class. possess no right of residence beyond the "Pale" of Settlement.

1901 28 November. A Senatorial decision to the effect that the Jew inheriting a title of nobility does not on account possess the right to serve the State, unless he is also the possessor of a university degree.

1901 19 December. A Senatorial decision that descendants of Jews exiled to Siberia as well as descendants of persons transplated there by Nikolai I. must remain in that particular district where they have been registered.

1902 2 November. A Senatorial resolution according to which dentists, surgeons, and midwives possess the right to residence beyond "Pale" only while they are exclusively engaged in following their profession.

1903 10 May. An order forbidding Jews to purchase, lease, or manage estates beyond the "Pale".

In 1905 a commission was appointed to inquire into the Jewish question, and the Government held out promise of revising the legal status of the Russian Jews and minimizing the disabilities under which they labour.

JN

Add information on why/how Russia ended up with most of the world's Jewish population

The greatest source of Jewish migration to Israel by far has been Russia and the Soviet Union. And in fact this article states, "During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Russian Empire had not only the largest Jewish population in the world, but actually a majority of the world's Jews living within its borders," but I am unable to find any explanation of how this came to be. The article does say that there was a period when Jews tended to migrate from western to eastern Europe, but how they got from there into Russia or why they expanded so much there despite lengthily described persecutory policies is a mystery. It would be great if someone in the know could add a bit of background here. 2001:14BA:A02C:4200:503B:C8AF:7ED7:CCDE ( talk) 15:24, 17 December 2023 (UTC) reply

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