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Pg. 550
REIGN OF THE SOVEREIGN EMPEROR NICHOLAS I
1844 yr.
484. – January 10. From the Senate, by the Highest Command
About the resettlement of Jews living in a fifty-versts
i
[about 25-mile] zone along the border
with Prussia and Austria.
The Governing Senate listened to the proposal of the Minister of Justice - that is in the 1
st.
Department of the Governing Senate, Considering a case on measures for the implementation of
the Highest Resolution, which followed on the Journal of the Committee of Ministers on April 6,
1843 (16,767) *, regarding the resettlement of Jews living in a fifty-verst zone along the border
with Prussia and Austria. In this case, he, the Minister of Justice, submitted a note to the
Committee of Ministers to clarify certain points. As a result, having considered the conclusion of
the Governing Senate, the Sovereign Emperor deigned to recognize it as completely consistent
with His Majesty’s indispensable will, announced on April 6 of the current (1843) year, and
ordered the aforesaid conclusion to be carried out, with the following additions: To the Minister
of the Interior together with the Minister of Finance and in coordination with the Governors - to
submit their general opinion on what exemptions could reduce the burdens of the execution of
the prescribed measures. At the same time, His Imperial Majesty Highly permits: 1) Extend the
term for the sale of stone houses by two years, in excess of the previous term, and for a total of
four years; 2) wooden houses - for an additional year; 3) exempt all those resettled Jews for five
years from all taxes, except customs duty; 4) to the owners of significant plants and factories - to
submit register-lists for His Majesty's consideration and special permission on how to deal with
them; 5) for those who settle in cities and towns – allow the release of state-owned timber for
building and construction in the usual proportion; 6) to present to His Imperial Majesty register-
lists of stone buildings in the places of settlement with a description of them and their condition.
Therewith, the matter is considered settled. About this Highest will, he, the Minister of Justice,
proposes to the Governing Senate, adding that, according to the conclusion of the Committee of
Ministers, they, having been informed of it, together with the Ministers of Internal Affairs and
Finance, act for the execution of orders depending on their competency.
551
The definition prepared for this case is returned here, as a result of the resolution of the 1st
Department of the Senate. In which connection, they listened to the reference inquiry, according
to which it turned out: that the Governing Senate, after hearing the case on the withdrawal of all
Jews living along the border with Prussia and Austria into the provinces, found two questions to
be furtherly resolved: 1) Should the Supreme Highest Command of April 20, 1843 *) be
considered as clarification and addition of the provisions of the Committee of Ministers
approved on April 11, 1825 (30,402) **) (Code of Laws, ed. 1842, Volume 14, Article 17),
which ordered: to remove from the border in the Western Provinces by 50 versts only those
Jews, who maintain (in villages and towns) houses, taverns, mills, etc. for hire, so that in the
designated areas they can live only in cities and towns where there are kahals, without extending
this prohibition to Jews who have, from among the named, the self-owned establishments and
enterprises, except for only one restriction, i.e., of their right to transfer them to other Jews; or
the Supreme command of April 20, 1843, on the withdrawal of all Jews beyond the fifty-verst
line from the border of Austria and Prussia, must be carried out in relation to all Jews living in
this boundary-line, including cities and towns, and without entering into consideration whether
they have their own houses and other immovable property, or do not have them, and 2) should
this Highest Command be extended to the border with the Kingdom of Poland? Having
considered the aforementioned issues, the Governing Senate finds that, as in the Highest
Command of April 20, 1843, it is positively said: “All Jews living in a fifty-verst strip along the
border with Austria and Prussia should be taken inside the provinces, allowing those who have
their own houses to sell them within a two-year period, and fulfill this without any evasions”.
And therefore, by resolution of October 6, 1843, it was concluded: that this regulation should
apply to all Jews in general, living not only along the border fifty-versts away from Austria and
Prussia, in villages and towns but also in cities and settlements of the Western provinces, not
excluding those who have real estate there. As for the question: should the Jews be removed to a
fifty-verst distance from the border with the Kingdom of Poland, then there is no sufficient
reason for that; as for in the Highest Command of April 20, 1843, nothing is said about this,
besides, the Kingdom of Poland
ii
is an inseparable part of the Empire. Thus ordered: about the
aforesaid His Highest Imperial Majesty's command, which followed the conclusion of the
Governing Senate on the case regarding the resettlement of Jews living in a fifty-verst area along
the border with Prussia and Austria, to let the following Provincial Governing Boards: of Vilna,
Volyn, Kovno, and Podolsk - know with decrees, which will notify the Vilna Military Governor,
Grodno, Minsk, and Kovno Governor-General, Kyiv Military Governor, Podolsk, and Volyn
Governor-General, as well as Ministers of Finance and Internal Affairs (V. P. S. Z., Volume
XIX, # 17,503).
*) See #475, pages 544 and 545.
**) See #124, page 135.
i
A Russian unit of length which corresponds to 0.66 mile or 1.1 km.
ii
The Kingdom of Poland was created as a political entity by the Congress of Vienna in 1815,
(therefore it was also called the Congress Kingdom of Poland) became a Russian protectorate after
the Polish uprising of 1830-31 when Tsar Nicholas I removed its constitution.