Definition of Pale of Settlement
Throughout Russia's history, the czars refused all Jews entry into Russia. The First Partition of Poland, in 1772, brought hundreds of thousands of Jews into Russian territory. Russia's rulers decided to restrict Jews to certain geographical areas, thereby creating the Pale of Settlement.
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Establishment
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The original Pale, established in 1791, included modern Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. Within the Pale itself, Jews were denied higher education and land ownership.
Russification
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Jews living within the Pale found increasingly intolerable measures taken against them during the reign of Nicholas I. Beginning in 1827, Jewish males had to serve in the army for 25 years.
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Under Tsar Alexander II
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Anti-Semitic policies were relaxed when Alexander II first came to power in 1855. Professional Jews were allowed to settle outside of the Pale. After the assassination of Alexander, many Jews were forced to return to the Pale.
Post Alexander II
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Alexander's death in 1881 coincided with increased anti-Jewish sentiment, pogroms and a 10 percent reduction in the area of the Pale of Settlement. This harsher climate for Jews lasted until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
Educational innovations with the Pale
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Jews living the Pale fiercely held on to their identity. For example, they created the Volozhin Yeshiva, considered to be the first modern yeshiva, and the Beis Yaakov School for girls.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Jurek Durczak
