The Russia n government establishes a Bureau of Jewish Affairs. Schools and Rabbis must be accredited. Jews are segmented into classes. The fifth class is the unemployed. Its members are slated for Siberian exile.
Unemployment is high because of discrimination.
Many East European Jews are growing weary and desperate. They don't have the faith, knowledge, and courage of their ancestors. They crave acceptance from their neighbors. They come up with a notion that to survive and achieve economic viability, Judaism must be packaged as a culture instead of a religion. Initially, this produces a new type of Jew, a person who practices Torah within the confines of his home, but looks and acts like a non-Jew outside the home.