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Original article: https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/ЕЭБЕ/Елизавета_Петровна
Elizaveta Petrovna- Russian empress (1709-1761; took the throne in 1741). The reign of E. was
marked by the complete expulsion of Jews from Russia. According to the “Rights by which the Little
Russian people are judged,” collected at the behest of E. in a special collection in Glukhov in 1743 on
the basis of the Lithuanian Statute and other legislative acts, Jews did not enjoy the right of permanent
residence in the country. However, the temporary stay, judging by item I of article 2, was not
forbidden, which also follows from a number of points defining the punishment for the unlawful
actions of Jews against Christians and, conversely, for the criminal actions of Christians against Jews.
But by decree on December 2, 1742, E. demanded the expulsion of all Jews from both Great Russian
and Little Russian cities, villages and hamlets, with their property. In the future, only those who
accepted the "Christian faith of the Greek confession" could be allowed into the country so that they
could never leave the country again. The following year, reporting to Elizabeth that 142 Jews (of both
sexes) had already been expelled, the Senate decided to emphasize that Jews come only for temporary
residence, paying the treasury a duty for bringing and taking away goods, and not for permanent ones.
In addition, some Jews, not knowing about the upcoming decree, brought a lot of goods, and in general
various trade relations were tied between them and the local Greeks, as a result of which the expulsion
of Jews would entail both a loss for the treasury and a ruin to the Greeks. The Senate also drew
attention to the report of the Riga authorities on the trade confusion there, caused by the order to evict
the Jews, and on a petition to allow the latter temporary stay in Riga for trading purposes. In
conclusion, pointing to the damage caused to the treasury by the removal of the Jews, the Senate asked
the sovereign to allow the Jews to come to the fairs. But E. upheld her command, putting on the Senate
report the famous resolution: "I don’t want any interest or profit from the enemies of Christ." As a
result of this it was resolved by the Senate on January 25, 1744 on the demand for the removal of the
Jews, specifying that they should not make representations to the Senate about admitting them.
 Wed: Full. collected laws; Regesta, Vol. III (forthcoming); Buchholtz, Geschichte d. Juden in
Riga.