The aftermath of the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881 was a watershed time period in Russian Jewish history. A reactionary phase led to the passing of the infamous May Laws which restricted Jewish life, and reversed many of the previous reforms. A series of violent pogroms broke out primarily in Ukraine and southern Russia in 1881-1884. There was a mass expulsion of Jews from Moscow and its environs in 1892, ostensibly because they were residing there illegally outside the Pale of Settlement. Further restrictions were promulgated by the reactionary government of Czar Alexander III concerning Jewish trade and commerce within the Pale.
The autocratic reign of Czar Nicholas II during the years 1894-1917 were a time of upheaval for the Russian Empire as a whole, and a dark time for the Jews of Russia in particular. The Kishinev Pogrom in 1903 along with the government’s weak response in its prevention, strengthened antisemitic sentiment among the Russian people and government officials. Although Russian Jewry enjoyed limited reforms as a result of the failed Russian revolution of 1905, the bloody pogroms which accompanied it, caused a tremendous loss of life and property damage across the Pale. Jews participated in the electoral process of the newly established Duma, but the Czar and his government ministers continued to curtail any reform and issued further draconian restrictions on Jewish subjects. This culminated in the infamous Beilis Trial in 1913. Russian Jewry on the eve of World War I was battered and beaten, and seemed further away from emancipation than ever before.
Check out a previous related episode: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/e/in-the-city-of-death-the-1903-kishinev-pogrom/
Cross River, a leading financial institution committed to supporting its communities, is proud to sponsor Jewish History Soundbites. As a trusted partner for individuals and businesses, Cross River understands the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. By sponsoring this podcast, they demonstrate their unwavering dedication to enriching the lives of the communities in which they serve. Visit Cross River at https://www.crossriver.com/
Subscribe to Jewish History Soundbites Podcast on: PodBean: https://jsoundbites.podbean.com/ or your favorite podcast platform
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram at @Jsoundbites
For sponsorship opportunities about your favorite topics of Jewish history or feedback contact Yehuda at: yehuda@yehudageberer.com
10th Yahrtzeit Special: Memories of Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part II
Great American Jewish Cities #23: Houston Part I
Romanian Revival: Interwar Romanian Rabbinical Leadership
Sale or No Sale? Shemitah in Modern Times Part II
Land on Sabbatical: Shemitah in Modern Times Part I
The Chant of Torah: The Life of Rav Naftali Trop
Crisis Management: The Great Crisis of the Chassidic Movement
The Chofetz Chaim & His Attempts to Move to the Holy Land
On the Way to Canaan's Land: The Five Aliyot to Palestine
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part II
Architect of American Orthodoxy: The Life & Times of Mike Tress Part I
A Guiding Light: The Life of the Chazon Ish Part II
Mussar Makes a Mir Debut
From Cromwell to Montefiore: The Jews of London Part II
A Moroccan Legacy: Rav Yitzchak Ibn Walid
From Poland to Petach Tikva: The Lomza Yeshiva Part II
From Poland to Petach Tikva: The Lomza Yeshiva Part I
Leader Among Peers: Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski at Rabbinical Conferences
In the City of Death: The 1903 Kishinev Pogrom
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Unpacking Israeli History
For Heaven’s Sake
Tablet Studios
Chai on Life
Stories Of Hope With Tzipora Grodko