Jews of Siberia in the 19th Century

Abstract

Siberian Jews have long been a well-established subject of research in Jewish Studies. Scientific publications of the 19th – early 21st century mainly focus on the problems pertaining to social adaptation of Jews in Siberia in the 19th – early 20th century. At the same time, much fewer works describe features distinguishing the economic development of the Jewish community and its place and role in the growth of specific economic sectors in Siberian regions. The article deals with the starting period that saw the formation of the Jewish community in Western Siberia. This period has not been closely looked at in historiography. The analysis here is based on archival data and elaborates on governmental policies by Alexander I and Nicholas II towards Jews living in Siberia as well as the consequences of these policies by the mid 19th century. The paper is using materials from various archives and published sources to formulate key features of the economic activities undertaken by the Jewish community in Western Siberia in the 19th century.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s2p207