Chapter 3 - Life in the Pale of Settlement Flashcards
What was the Pale of Settlement?
It was a slim border in Russia that was closed of by a fence/ border. It compromised of about 20 percent of territory in the Russian empire however only approximately 3 percent of that 20 percent was allowed for jews. And only 5 percent of those jews were allowed to live outside the pale of settlement since they were accepted into extremely prestigious university or they were wealthy and could strongly benefit taxes. At its highest there were up to 5 million jews in the pale at once! Only in 1835 was the pale majorly upgraded and grew but then only in 1917 was it abolished by the provisional government decree.
Life of the Jews under the Czars?
The Czars were in place from 1762- 1918 starting with Catherine the Great and ending with Nicholas II. During the Jew’s lives under the Czars’ rulings they were restricted to live in the ‘pale of settlement’ and every single Czar was an anti-semite and anti jews.
The Czars tried to convert the Jews to Christianity, they would initiate Pogroms and declare great Taxes in order to try and convert the Jews. In other words, life was pretty awful for the Jews.
Why was the Pale of Settlement established?
The pale was first created by Catherine the great in 1791 as a few of her predecessors failed in trying to completely wipe out the jews. Jews weren’t allowed outside the pale unless they converted to Russian orthodoxy.
Fiddler on the Roof, fact or fiction?
Fiction with hints to real life with the shtetls and pogroms which did occur in those days.
