Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/299

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iiimrcusloiiicd to the climate of

many

tlip

spiiiscly scttleil

ami died; while others sold their estates for uext to nothiuf: and returned to their old homes or left the country Only the poorest remained in the coloaltoijethcr. nies; and these led a miserable exist.-nee, hojiinj,' in vain for the support ])romised hy the jrovernment. Notwithstandinj; the (lra«"l)aeks, l.O'.Mt families had Siiilli Hissian steppes,

Agricultural Colonies (Palestine— Russia

THE JEWISH EXCYCLOPEDIA

253

fell ill

lieen s<'ttle(l in these colonies n|) to the

year

I.SIO.

On

of that year an edict was issued, disApril conlinuin^' the transfer of Jews to New Russia, all the funds assiirned by the government liaving been expended. In IHID General Int/.ov, chief superintendent of South Russian colonics, inspected the Jr« isli settlements, and lie reported on them so favorably that the (juestion of eontinuinfr Jewish colonization was discussed at St. i'eterslmrir. In KT.'> a li>aii of .jll.OdK rubles was iTranleil for colonization imrposes, and this enabled 44;i families to settle partly in the old colonies and i)artly in new settlements. In the same year further emijjration to New Russia was stopped by the government. Under the conscientious management of General Intzov, the economic condition of the colonies improved; but his strict administration and almost military discipHis plan line drove many of the colonists away. of distributing ihe free farms by which the colonists were grouped together, not by families, but to suit the convenience of the maiiagenient was detrimental to the development of the colonics. The second jieriod in the history of Jewish colonization in Russia begins with the edict conei'ining the Jews issued by Czar Nicholas I.

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on Ai)ril i;{, ISi."). From this it was manifest that the czar intended to colonize New Russia with Jews, who were to be settled there in great numbers. Briefly the provisions of the edict were as follows: (1) Jews were permitted to join the peasjint class in New Rus,sia without being compelled todoso. (2) Forty candidates were entitled to the riirht of founding a colony, (i) Jews were granled the right lo buy or rent lands from Christian owners or from tln' crown in territories where Jews were allowed to live. (4) Jews joining the Jieasant cla.ss weri' relieved from ('>) Jews colonizing tifty certain taxes and duties. Jewish families on their estates were enlitleii to honorary citizenship, and those colonizing one hundred families were entilleil to be raised to the nobility. (( Colonists were granted the right to .send their

Second Era.

children to all public schools, gymnasiums, academies, and universities (" Russian Code." pp. 24-27, 104-117). Notwillisianding these privileges, the Jews, remembering the trials and sulTerings encountered by the tirst colonists, showed but little enthusiasm for the .scheme; an the czar issued an order assigning l.'(,1.54 decialines of land in the governnienl,sof Tobolsk and Omsk for colonization by Jews. This order had an

unexpected anil remarkable result. The enthusiasm of the Jews, rich and pour, learneil and ignorant, knew no limits. Jewish scholars I. I!. I.evinsohn, li. .Maiidelslanim, and others supported the governnn'iit plan by contributions to tin' press and by public speeches. Almost e(|ual sympathy was shown by Ihe Chrislian population of all clas.s»'». The lirsl who sought lo be colonized were 70

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families,

Courland.

numbering

from ^litau in their leaders, Meyer Elijah Mitauer, for permission to ^')

peiNons.

who applied through

Mendelsohn and

province of Ekaterinoslav. Numerous other applicants sent in similar reiiuests for the provinces of Siberia, among them being 117 families from Courland, 200 from I he estates of Prince Dolgorukov, and 427 from .Mohilev. In all. 990 families forwardeil aiiplications to Count IJludov, minister of the interior. At the Siime time the minister The received communications from many Siberian governors pointing out the impractiProposal. cahility of sending Jews to Siberia. settle in the

Count Kankrin, however, remained firm in his conviction that Siberia was the most suitable country for Jewish colonization: and his lilan was sanctioned by the czar, October 27. 1836 iii. 02). Kankrin proceeded with his arrangements, and in due course reported to the czar tiiat all was ready for the expedition. To the intense disa])pointinent of all concerned, the report was retuined. January 5, 1837, with the following remark in the czar's handwriting, "The transfer oj Jews to Siberia is to he stopped."

(."Vos. " 1WS2.

As .soon as the new edict was issued Bludov gave orders to all governors and governor-generals of the Siberian provinces to seize the would-be colonists wherever they might be found and to send them, under jiroper convoy, to the government of Kherson. Shortly before the i>ublieation of the edict, 36 families had arrived at Omsk. With the iiermission of the authorities, they had migrated there on their own account. These were permitted to return to their former homes or to settle in New Russia. Koniarov was sent by l$ludov to the government of Kher.son to settle 738 families in the original nine colonies. But not tmtil the year 1840 were the new colonists moved. There were then to be settled 346 families (1,.5.")2 persons) from Courland and 863 families (6,171 persons) from Lithuania and other northwestern provinces. The condition in which most of these colonists from Siberia and from the northwestern governments arrived at South Russia was pitiful. On till' road many died, while others had to be placed in hospitals. The Courlanders Hlestined to be pioneers of colonization were maltreated by the othcials in charge during their voyage down the Dnieper, and were unable to begin work till the following year, as is shown in the report of Dr. Schindler to Prince Dalgorukov, JIajor HenkendortT, in a communication to Kisselev, declared in distinct leriiis that the czar's promises to the Jews of Courland, bolli written and verbal, had not been fultilled. They found no houses, seeds, or agricultural iinplciiiints. As soon as they had reached theirdestination the authorities of Kherson sent them to the old colonics. The result was that in n short time all the houses were overcrowded, and thousands had to camp in the opi^n tields near Ihe seltle-

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nieiils.

In

Yanovka,

for

instance.

Difficulties two ihousimd settlers had to remain of Kherson wilhoiil shelter; and the provisions

gave out. This famine brought on all kinds of sickness and tiuallv caused the people to revolt. The authorities took Colonists,

.soon

strong rejiressive measures, the number of overseers was considerably incn-ased, and the disturbers Count Vorof Ihe peace were severely punished. onlzov. Ihe governor-general of Kherson, deciiled to found four new colonies; and he did his best In improve the wretched conditions of Ihe old settlements. In June, 1X41, he founded four colonies which, according to the wishes of the si'ltlers, wen; called Novy Hreshivl (New Breslaut, Lvov (Ia'IU-