Lists 1,200 Jewish communities in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the Pale of Settlement
Pale of Settlement
The Pale of Settlement was a western region of Imperial Russia with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 1917, in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed and beyond which Jewish residency, permanent or temporary, was mostly forbidden. Most Jews were still excluded from re…
Where did the Galician Jews come from?
Galician Jews or Galitzianers (Yiddish:גאַליציאַנערס) are members of the subgroup of Ashkenazi Jews originating in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, from contemporary western Ukraine (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil) and from south-eastern Poland (Subcarpathian and Lesser Poland).
Was Lithuania part of the Pale of Settlement?
The Pale of Settlement included all of modern-day Belarus, Lithuania and Moldova, much of Ukraine and east-central Poland, and relatively small parts of Latvia and what is now the western Russian Federation.
Why did they call it the Pale of Settlement?
It is this definition of pale from which the phrase “beyond the pale” is derived. In imperial Russia, what came to be called the Pale of Settlement (Cherta Osedlosti) came into being as a result of the introduction of large numbers of Jews into the Russian sphere after the three partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, 1795).
Was Smolensk in the Pale of Settlement?
Though Smolensk was not included into the Pale of Settlement, in the 18th and 19th centuries the number of Jews in the city gradually increased and in 1896 had reached 4651 persons (about ten percent of the city's population).
What counties were in the Pale?
The Pale boundary essentially consisted of a fortified ditch and rampart built around parts of the medieval counties of Louth, Meath, Dublin and Kildare, leaving out half of Meath, most of Kildare, and southwest County Dublin.
What does shtetl mean in Yiddish?
townBut according to Shandler, a professor in the Department of Jewish Studies at Rutgers: “In Yiddish, shtetl simply means 'town' – anywhere, at any time, inhabited by anyone. In popular usage, it has acquired all kinds of connotations, especially as the word moves into other languages.”
Where in Russia did Fiddler on the Roof take place?
AnatevkaIf you know any musicals at all, then you probably know the beloved Fiddler on the Roof. It tells the story of the dairy man Tevye and his family, and it's set in the town of Anatevka in czarist Russia.
Where is the town of Lubavitch?
Smolensk OblastLyubavichi, Rudnyansky District, Smolensk OblastLyubavichi ЛюбавичиCoordinates: 54°50′N 30°58′ECountryRussiaFederal subjectSmolensk OblastAdministrative districtRudnyansky District21 more rows
When did Ukraine join Russia?
While right-bank Ukraine belonged to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until late 1793, left-bank Ukraine had been incorporated into Tsardom of Russia in 1667 (under the Treaty of Andrusovo).
Is Yiddish a written language?
Writing system Yiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet, but its orthography differs significantly from that of Hebrew. Whereas, in Hebrew, many vowels are represented only optionally by diacritical marks called niqqud, Yiddish uses letters to represent all vowels.
What was Lithuania called before?
With the Union of Lublin of 1569, Poland and Lithuania formed a new state referred to as the Republic of Both Nations, but commonly known as Poland-Lithuania or the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
When was Lithuania part of Russia?
Lithuania is not and was not Russia. During the 1940-1941 and 1944-1990 periods, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union. This occupation was contrary to international law and not recognized by most democratic countries.
Are Lithuanians white?
All the traditional communities (well over 99% of the population) are White. Races are thus seen as an external issue used to describe the global (rather than local) diversity.
Is Lithuania considered Slavic?
Lithuania, located in Northeastern Europe, is often considered a Slavic country. However, there is debate over whether Lithuania is truly Slavic, as it has Slavic and Baltic influences. While Lithuania does have a significant Slavic population, its history and culture are also deeply rooted in the Baltic region.
What was the Pale of Settlement?
Cherta [ postoyannoy yevreyskoy] osedlosti ) was a territory within the borders of czarist Russia wherein the residence of Jews was legally authorized. Limits for the area in which Jewish settlement was permissible in Russia came into being when Russia was confronted with the necessity of adjusting to a Jewish element within its borders, from which Jews had been excluded since the end of the 15 th century. These limitations were consonant with the general conception of freedom of movement of persons which then applied. At the time, most of the inhabitants of Russia, not only the serfs but also townsmen and merchants, were deprived of freedom of movement and confined to their places of residence.
Which provinces were excluded from the Pale?
In 1835 the provinces of Astrakhan and the northern Caucasus were excluded from the Pale. In 1843 Nicholas I ordered the expulsion of the Jews from a strip of 50 versts (about 33 mi.) in width extending along the border with Prussia and Austria.
What law did not apply to the Vistula region?
However, they were disappointed when these alleviations came to a complete halt after 1881, as part of the general reaction in Russia at this period. The "Temporary ( *May ) Laws" of 1881 prohibited any new settlement by Jews outside towns and townlets in the Pale of Settlement (this law did not apply to the Vistula Region).
What language did the Jews speak in the Pale of Settlement?
The language spoken by the Jews in the Pale of Settlement was Yiddish (according to the census of 1897 by 99% of the Jews). Most Jewish children received a Jewish education in the ḥeder and the yeshivah. Jewish literature and newspapers in Yiddish , Hebrew, Russian, and Polish circulated in many thousands of copies.
What was the purpose of the partition of Poland?
After the first partition of Poland in 1772, when masses of Jews living within the former country came under Russian rule, it was decided (1791) to permit the presence of the Jews not only in their former regions of residence, but also in the new areas which had then been annexed from Turkey on the Black Sea shore, in whose rapid colonization the Russian government was interested. On the other hand, Jewish merchants were prohibited from trading in the provinces of inner Russia. These decrees were intended to serve the national and economic interests of the state by preventing competition of the Jewish with Russian merchants and encouraging settlement in the desolate steppes of southern Russia; after a time these formed the provinces of *Kherson , *Dnepropetrovsk (Yekaterinoslav), and Taurida ( *Crimea ). The Russian government also sought thus to reduce the excess of Jews in the branches of commerce and innkeeping within the territory annexed from Poland. In 1794 the earlier decree was ratified and applied to the regions which had been annexed with the second partition of Poland (1793) also – the provinces of *Minsk , *Volhynia, and *Podolia – as well as to the region to the east of the River Dnieper (the provinces of *Chernigov and *Poltava ).
What was the original motion to expel Jews from Russia?
The extreme Right retorted with a counter-motion "to expel the Jews from Russia"; the original motion was voted upon in February 1911 and transferred to the commission for personal freedom, where it fell into oblivion and was no longer mentioned in plenary session of the Duma.
What rights did the peasants have?
The peasants were granted the right of demanding the expulsion of the Jews who lived among them. These decrees were bound up with intensified administrative pressure, brutality by local authorities, and the systematic acceptance of bribery on the part of the lower administrative ranks.
When did Galicia cease to exist?
Below is a collection of different types of historic maps of Galicia spanning from 1775 (the oldest map of Galicia I found, made just a few years after the creation of the crownland) through 1918 , the year Galicia ceased to exist as administrative unit.
What was the capital of Galicia?
The capital of the province was Lemberg (today Lviv). A century and a half later, in 1918, Galicia was wiped from the world’s maps, with the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The borders of Galicia changed throughout the years. In 1795, in the Third Partition of Poland, West Galicia (also called New Galicia), ...
When was West Galicia merged with Poland?
In 1795, in the Third Partition of Poland, West Galicia (also called New Galicia), which included the districts of Kraków, Lublin, Chełm, was created and merged with Galicia in 1803. These districts, along with a small sliver of the original Galicia, including the district of Zamość, were annexed to the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1809.
Which city was formally annexed to Austria?
In 1815, Kraków gained the status of a free city (The Free City of Cracow) and remained so until after the Polish uprising of 1846, when it was incorporated into Galicia as the Grand Duchy of Cracow. Bukovina was formally annexed to the Austrian Empire in 1775 as part ...
When was Bukovina annexed?
Bukovina was formally annexed to the Austrian Empire in 1775 as part of Galicia. In 1849, Bukovina became a separate Austrian crownland, with its capital at Czernowitz (Chernivtsi).
Gazetteer of Galicia
Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia, by Brian J. Lenius (determine what is now in Poland and what is in the Ukraine; identify Jewish record jurisdictions) Family History Library call number 943.86 E5L Copies may be found in the reference area and the stacks.
History of the Jews in Galicia
To visit the Galicia Jewish Museum online click here. The Galicia Jewish Museum exists to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to celebrate the Jewish culture of Polish Galicia, presenting Jewish history from a new perspective.
Gesher Galicia's Databases
Gesher Galicia is an organization that promotes and conducts Jewish genealogical and historical research for Galicia, a province of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is today part of eastern Poland and southwestern Ukraine.
Division of Galicia (1918)
Galicia was divided between Poland and the Ukraine at the end of the First World War.
What was the Pale of Settlement?
The Pale of Settlement, ca. 1855. Originally formed in 1791 by Russia’s Catherine II, the Pale of Settlement was a region designated for Jews. For political, economic, and religious reasons, very few Jews were allowed to live elsewhere. The area mostly falls within today’s Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, and Moldova. At the end of the nineteenth century, close to 95 percent of the 5.3 million Jews in the Russian Empire lived in the Pale of Settlement. In early 1917, the Pale of Settlement was abolished, permitting Jews to live where they wished in the former Russian Empire. This region continued to be a center of Jewish communal life until World War II.
How many Jews lived in the Pale of Settlement?
At the end of the nineteenth century, close to 95 percent of the 5.3 million Jews in the Russian Empire lived in the Pale of Settlement. In early 1917, the Pale of Settlement was abolished, permitting Jews to live where they wished in the former Russian Empire. This region continued to be a center of Jewish communal life until World War II.
What empire was Galicia part of?
A contemporaty map below roughly shows the borders of Galicia when it was part of the Austrian Empire.
What is the western section of Galicia?
The western section, known as western Galicia is a triangular area with its apexes at Kraków, Sandomierz, and Przemyśl.
What is the name of the district in Galicia?
The part of Galicia that was home to the Drohobycz Administratve District is known geographically as Prikarpatye or Podkarpatye (literally: near the Carpathian Mountains or the Carpathian foothills). The mountains are covered with evergreen forests, and numerous mountains streams flow among the rolling hills.
What is the province of Galicia?
The province of Galicia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a crescent-shaped area of land from Kraków in the west, to the Romanian border in the southeast, following the northern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains.
What was the name of the country that became part of Poland after the Second World War?
After the First World War when Galicia once more became part of Poland, it was known as Małopolska. After the end of the Second World War, eastern Galicia became part of Western Ukraine and western Galicia became part of Poland.
What is the meaning of the name Galicia?
For most people today Galicia is place where people came from, parents, grandparents, or survivors. The very name belongs to a lost era and can evoke many emotions: sometimes feelings of nostalgia and longing, sometimes bitter memories. The name, Galicia, has an ancient pedigree.
What is the name of the country that was part of the Polish Empire?
The name, Galicia, has an ancient pedigree. In the mid 13th century, under the reign of a powerful prince, it became known as Regnum Galicia et Lodomeria, or the Kingdom of Galicia and Volhynia. Then for many centuries, while it was part of the Polish empire, it was known simply as Rus czerwona or Ziemnia ruska, red Rus or red earth. When the Polish Commonwealth was carved up by the three greedy powers, Prussia, Russia, and Austria, the new Austrian rulers reverted to the ancient name and created the two provinces, Galicia and the eastern section, Bukowina, formerly Volhynia.
