History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Volume 3 [of 3]: From the Accession of Nicholas II until the Present DayDubnow, Simon
History
History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, Volume 3 [of 3]: From the Accession of Nicholas II until the Present Day
Dubnow, Simon
Jews -- Poland -- History; Jews -- Russia -- History; Poland -- History; Russia -- History
The attitude of this reactionary Duma toward the Jewish question
was revealed at its early sessions when the bill concerning the
inviolability of the person was the subject of discussion. The
opposition demanded the establishment of the full freedom of movement
as the most fundamental condition of the inviolability of the person,
but the majority of the Right managed to insert in the bill the
following stipulation: "No one shall be limited in the right of
choosing his place of residence and in moving from place to place,
except in the cases set forth in the law, and excepting the Jews who
arrive in localities situated outside the Pale of Settlement" (1908).
In this wise the Russian legislators cleverly succeeded in harmonizing
the principle of the inviolability of the person with the life-long
imprisonment of millions of people in the huge prison house known as
the Pale of Settlement.
Their solicitude for the maintenance of this vast ghetto was so
intense that the reactionary Government of Stolypin was often the butt
of criticism because it did not always show sufficient regard for
this holy institution. The fact of the matter was that in May, 1907,
Stolypin had issued a circular ordering the governors to stop the
expulsion from the interior governments of those Jews who had settled
there before August, 1906, and possessed "a family and a domestic
establishment" in those provinces, provided they were "harmless
to the public order and do not arouse the dissatisfaction of the
Christian population." As a result of this circular, several hundred,
possibly several thousand, Jewish families were saved from expulsion.
In consequence, the Right brought in an interpellation calling upon
the Government to explain on what ground it had dared to issue this
"charter of privileges" to the Jews. The interpellation, of course,
proved effective, and the Government did its utmost to nullify the
exemptive provisions of the circular. The anti-Semitic Duma betrayed
the same spirit on another occasion by rejecting in the same year
(1908) the bill, introduced by the Opposition, conferring the right
of visiting the health resorts or watering-places upon all sufferers,
without distinction of nationality.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account