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Pg. 135
REIGN OF THE SOVEREIGN EMPEROR ALEXANDER I
1825 yr.
124. -- June 30. From the Senate, according to the Highest Approved
Regulations [Provision/Polozheniye] of the Committee of Ministers. --
Additional orders regarding the removal of Jews from the border by 50 versts.
1
The Governing Senate listened to the proposal of Mr. Minister of Justice, under which, in
order to commit a proper execution of the directive, he applied a copy of an excerpt from the
journals of the Committee of Messrs. Ministers, which was passed to him by the Minister of
Finance: It prescribes the Highly Approved on the 11
th
day of the last April, Provision of this
Committee, which gathered apropos the note submitted by the Minister of Finance in April of
1824, about the removal of Jews from the border by 50 versts. In the aforesaid excerpt, it is
explained that in 1812 the Civic Governor of Volhynia
2
proposed that those Jews, living in the
settlements owned by the landlords near the borders, as well as in the villages and in the special
households of the frontier powiat
3
, should be removed to those miasteczko-s
4
and kagal-s
5
where
they were registered according to the census.
*) See №. 59, p. 59.
136
The Emperor, having approved the Governor's proposal, deigned to order the enforcement of
its execution. In 1816, Senator Sievers
6
who performed the census revision of the Volyn
Province, during his visit to the Radziwilov
7
, had noticed that on the very border, within few
steps away from it, the Jews were keeping taverns and trading, which lead to the greatest
violations (malversation). Therefore, Senator Sivers appealed to the Governor of the Volyn
Province to make strict orders to the Zemstvo Courts, in order that such Jews, in accordance with
the Highest Approved Regulations, be permanently removed within three weeks from the border
into the miasteczko-s and kagal-s where they were registered according to the census. He also
proposed that the Volyn Province Administration should make an order that all the Jews, except
those who live where they were registered by census revision and where the kagals were located,
would be removed to the distance of 50 versts from the border and under no pretext would live in
settlements and/or in special households under the fear, in a case of noncompliance, of the
strictest penalty (punishment) for those found guilty. By the strength of the above-mentioned
Supreme decree and orders, the removal of the Jews from the border continued until 1821, and
from that time on, the Jews, through the connivance of the Zemstvo Police, returned to some
villages and taverns; On this occasion, the Chiefs of the bordering Western Customs Districts
approached the Ministry of Finance with reports and their suspicions that Jews, under the
pretense of keeping taverns, were trading illegally along the borders,
and that the border guards, despite all their zeal, did not have the means to keep them from
smuggling illegal goods, and were always at risk of being held accountable although not at fault
(of such violations). Above all, His Imperial Highness the Tsesarevich
8
referred to the Minister of
Finance about the complaints of the landlord Chamiec from the Volyn Province, who complained
about the local administration, which allowed the Jews to live there along the border, in
disobedience of the Highest order of 1812 and all the following instructions. The Minister of
Finance, being convinced by many cases, that the Jews, having their special inclination for the
secret smuggling of goods and conducing it, were attempting to inhabit areas at the borders,
dodge and make their ways by various means, they rented houses from the owners along the
border, and mills and taverns, which by their position/location did not bring any income, but
Jews payed for them a considerable rent money for leases: this serves as an obvious proof that
they, while at the border, are engaged only in the illegal trade and secret import of goods and
shelter them in such leased places, and they also export out of state our coins, which greatly
damages both the course of proper trade, and the success of domestic manufactories and factory
establishments, and causes damage to the taxation income, -
thus, he supposed: for the prevention of such an obvious evil, the Highest order, given in 1812,
and the following in 1816 orders prescribed to remove all Jews from the border by 50 versts,
must be carried on to an execution on that basis, so that in these areas, the Jews would live only
in towns and miasteczko-s, where there were established Kagals. This decree should be
distributed, in addition to Volyn Province, to all the Western Gubernias located along the borders.
The Minister of Finance recognized as necessary this measure, which was not new, but already
was introduced in the Volyn Province in accordance with the Highest order, because of the
explained foregoing circumstances, considering that if it was found necessary in one Province,
then for the same reasons it might be necessary in other Provinces.
137
In conclusion, he added that although the Jewish affairs were handled by a special Committee,
except the separate rulings presupposed for the Belarusian Provinces, however there should be
no delay resolving this issue, as it has no important connection with the regular Jewish
matters/affairs, and moreover, the number of Jews relater to this business could not be very
high/large, and the Jews, being removed from the borders, would easily be able to find means of
subsistence. This opinion he, Mr. Minister of Finance, presented to the Committee of Messrs.
Ministers, to which also followed the Highest behest of the Emperor: To request for this matter
the opinion of His Imperial Highness Tsesarevich. In succession to this, there was a response
received from His Imperial Highness Tsesarevich concluding that the proposal about removing
the Jews from all Provinces along the border away for 50 versts from the border, except those in
towns and miasteczko-s, where there were established Kagals, was very useful for the purpose of
reduction of smuggling from abroad the contraband goods; although His Highness does not see
whether there is made a difference between Jews who keep houses, taverns, mills, and the like
for hire, from those who have the ownership of such or other real estate, as their property and
belonging to them; for if such Jewish owners are found, it would be unfair to deprive them of
their property.
The Committee, seeing that the proposal about the removal of all Jews in all frontier Provinces
away to the distance of 50 versts from the boarder, except towns and miasteczko-s, and following
the response from His Imperial Highness Tsesarevich regarding the usefulness of such removal
for the purpose of reduction of smuggling from abroad the contraband goods –
Considered the execution of such proposition after requesting the Highest Approval; However,
according to the opinion of His Highness, to add to it, that such order and action will
relate/concern only to the Jews settled within the 50-versts distance from the border and
keeping/managing/renting houses, taverns, mills, and the like for hire/lease, but it will not
affect/apply to the Jews who own such properties. During the meeting-session, on April 11, it
was announced to the Committee that His Imperial Majesty approved the position of the
Committee of Ministers, commanding, in addition, that only Jews who live in separate
households may remain within the distance of 50-versts from the border if they own/have in their
possession houses, taverns, mills, and the like, and so on, but they may not, under any pretext,
pass-on those of their own properties to other Jews, But only in a case of necessity they may
admit/allow/permit, by mutual agreement with other residents, to their properties settlers/citizens
of Cristian faith, but by no means of Jewish faith. By the means (in a form of ) the excerpt from
the Journal, the Committee provisioned to report of such decision to the Minister of Finance for
the execution/pursuance.
Thus, it was ordered:
For the proper execution of the above-explained Highest order of His Imperial Majesty, To
prescribe by decrees to the Military Governors of Lithuania and Podolsk, to Civic Governors and
Provinces’ Administrations of the Western frontier Provinces, and inform the General-Governors
of Vitebsk, Mogilev and other Civic Governors, Provinces’ Administrations and state Commerce
Chambers in all Provinces in which a permanent residency is permitted for Jews, as well to the
Minister of Finance, The Head of the Spiritual Board of Foreign Confessions and the Head of the
Ministry of Domestic Affairs, To the 1
st
Branch of the 3
rd
Department, 2
nd
and 3
rd
Branches of the
5
th
Department of the Governing Senate – to inform/enforce. (P. P. S. Z., Vol. XL, № 30,402).
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1.Verst [Верста] - тhe Russian measure of length = 1.06 km.
2.Volhynia [Wołyń or Volýn, Volyn Province] - is a historic region in Central and
Eastern Europe, situated between south-eastern Poland, south-western
Belarus, and western Ukraine. While the borders of the region are not clearly
defined, the territory that still carries the name is Volyn Oblast (Volyn
Province), located in western Ukraine. At one time all of Volhynia was part of
the Pale of Settlement designated by Imperial Russia on its southwestern-
most border. (From Wikipedia)
3.Poviat (powiat, Пове
ет) is a former administrative-territorial unit in the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
4.Mestéchko (Miasteczko) is one of the types of settlements in Russia, Polish-
Lithuanian Commonwealth (on the territory of modern Belarus, Lithuania,
eastern Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, and western Russia) often with a significant
proportion of the Jewish population, a Jewish town (shtetl).
5.Кага
ел - Kagál, Kakhal, Qáhál - is a body of communal self-government that
headed a separate Jewish community in the diaspora and mediated between
it and the state, in the broad sense of the word Jewish community the
administrative form of community self-government among Jews in Poland and
other countries of Eastern Europe in the 16th — 18th centuries, in the Russian
Empire in the period 1772–93.
6.Senator Sievers – see: von Sievers on Wikipedia - Count Karl von Sievers
(1772-1856) - Russian general of the Napoleonic wars, Senator, Actual Privy
Counselor.
7.Radziwilov – (Radyvýliv, Радивилов, translit. Radivilov; Polish: Radziwiłłów) is
a small city in Rivne Oblast (region) of western Ukraine. It is the
administrative center of Radyvyliv Raion (district), and is located south-west
of the oblast capital, Rivne, In the 14th century, together with whole Volhynia,
Radyvyliv became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Following the 1569
Union of Lublin, the town was transferred to the Kingdom of Poland, where it
remained for over 200 years. As a result of the Partitions of Poland, it became
part of the Russian Empire.
8.Tsesarevich (Цесаре
евич) was the title of the heir apparent or presumptive in
the Russian Empire. It either preceded or replaced the given name and
patronymic.
Translation by Anastasia Savenko-Moore and Rick Moore, Eugene OR.
Funded by the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture NYC, http://mfjc.org/.
Copyright easteurotopo.org 2019.