The herald., 1896-06-28

event to general amelioration of the
repressive restrictions which are stead
lily and rapidly making the so-called
Pale unendurably congestive, remains
to be seen. The Russian Jews are here
represented by deputation consisting
of the chief rabbiS of st. Petersburg,
Moscow and Warsaw and two civil dele
gates, and they have been very gra-
ciously received by their majesties. In
the meantime the following sketch of
the Russian Jewry, collated from an
official paper, may serve to show the re-
lations of the Jews with the Russian gov
ernment
The Jews occupy quite a special and
peculiar position among the heterogen-
eouS races in Russia. In the Moscow
period Jews were not admitted to the
country. During the reign of Peter the
Great no general laws concerning the
Jews We're passed. but the ukase of 1927
decreed the expulsion of all Jews from
Russia and forbade them to return thith-
er. This ukase was subsequently con-
firmed in 1742 by the Empress Elizabeth
Petrovna, but in the reign of Katharine
il. the Jewish question assumed differ
ent form, owing to the annexation of
several provinces of Poland where the
policy of iKng Casimer the Great had
led to the permanent settlement of very
large Jewish population. 1t was then
that delimitation of territory for the
residence of the Jews was first estab
lished and they were confined, in re-
spect to permanent residence, to GER
tain provinces. Later, in 1904, during
the reign of Alexander l., there was
general enactment with regard to the
Russian Jewry, the main object of which
was to induce them to engage in pro-
ductive labor. To this end each Jew was
obliged to join one of the existing un-
privileged classes, and Jewish landown-
ers were accorded certain rights, but
were strictly prohibited from keeping
ginshops and inns in villages and settle
ments.
In 1885 a new edict respecting the Jews
and of similar nature, was promulgated
but, at the same time certain other meas
ures calculated to accentuate their ex-
clusiveness were adopted. Thus, by
the enactment of 1885, they were per-
mitted to have elected boards or cabals
for the assessment or rates and taxes,
These official measures, repealed in 1874,
merely served to cover the existing and
ancient system of cabal. Subsequently,
in 1874, new ukase was issued, estab-
fishing Jewish schools by means of a
special "Korobotchnoi" tax levied on
the Jews. On the accession of Alexan-
der II. the measures adopted by the
government regarding Russian Hebrews
were again modified and directed to-
wards removing the hitherto existing
restriction of their rights, with the OBJ
ject of assimilating them with the native
population. The chief object of these
measures, it is officially said, was to
induce the Jews to engage in productive
labor
According to existing laws, Jews are
permitted to reside in all the ten prov
inces of Poland, and in Bessarabia, Viii
ma, Vitesbsk, Volhynia, Grodno, Yekat-
erinoSlaff. kovno, Minsk, Mohileff, Po-
dolia, Poltava, Tchernigeff, Kieff, Kher-
son and the Taurida, with the exception
of the following towns in those prov
inces Kieff, Yalta, Nicolaieff and Sc
bastopol, where only Jews who are mer-
chants are permitted to reside. In Cour-
land only such Jews as have settled
there before 1885 have the right of resi-
dence. Jews are also prohibited from
settling within a distance of fifty versts
of the frontier, a measure adopted, os-
tensibly at least, to stop smuggling.
By the law of 1882 they are likewise for
bidden to settle or acquire on lease or
mortgage, any real estate outside of
towns and hamlets In all other parts
of the empire Jews are only permitted
TO remain temporarily for purposes of
business. A very large number, how
ever. are permitted freedom of resi-
dence. They are those who have be-
longed to the first guild of trading mer-
chants for not less than five years, those
holding learned degrees or who have
passed the curriculum of the higher ed
ucational establishments. AS a general
rule, Jews may not enter the service of
the state, except those who possess
learned degrees and medical men in
places assigned for the residence of
Jews. Furthermore. they are not per-
mitted to take part in the election of
communal and municipal representa-
tives.
1t must be noted that all these restric-
tions apply only to the rabbinical Jews;
the Karaims have enjoyed all civil
rights appertaining to native Russian
subjects since the time of Katherine II.
The number of rabbinical Jews in Rus
sia at the present time amounts to over
1000, 900 souls.-London Daily News