Temporary regulations regarding the Jews (also known as May Laws) were residency and business restrictions on Jews in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, proposed by minister

Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev Count Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev (; – ) was a Russian statesman and diplomat who is best known for his policy of aggressive expansionism as the Russian ambassador to China and the Ottoman Empire. He was also the minister of the interi ...

and enacted by Tsar Alexander III on . Originally, intended only as temporary measures, they remained in effect for more than thirty years.

Overview

Regulations

They read as follows: # "As a temporary measure, and until a general revision is made of their legal status, it is decreed that the Jews be forbidden to settle anew outside of towns and boroughs, exceptions being admitted only in the case of existing

Jewish agricultural colonies Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

." # "Temporarily forbidden are the issuing of mortgages and other deeds to Jews, as well as the registration of Jews as lessees of real property situated outside of towns and boroughs; and also the issuing to Jews of powers of attorney to manage and dispose of such real property." # "Jews are forbidden to transact business on Sundays and on principal Christian holy days; the existing regulations concerning closing of places of business belonging to Christians on such days should apply to Jews also." # "The measures laid down in paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 shall apply only to governments within the Pale of Jewish Settlement."

Subsequent legislation

In subsequent years, other discriminatory laws were enacted.

Quotas Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a restriction on the quantity of goods that can be imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * ...

were enacted, limiting the number of Jews admitted to high schools and universities and their overall population percentage. This legislation was repeatedly revised. In 1887, these administrative quotas were tightened down to 10% within the Pale (still double that of Jewish percentage), 5% outside the Pale, except

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and

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, which were held at 3%. Many towns in the Pale with a significant Jewish population resulted in half-empty schools and many potential students forbidden to enroll. Many Jewish students were unable to complete their education on the soil of their birth. The proportion of Jewish doctors working in the army was not allowed to exceed 5%. In contrast, any Jewish lawyer who wished to become a barrister needed the express consent of the Minister of Justice. At the end of the reign, the right of Jews to sell alcohol was revoked. In the spring of 1891, most Jews were deported from

(except a few deemed " useful") and a newly built

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

was closed by the city's authorities, headed by governor-general Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the Tsar's brother. About 20,000 were expelled, causing international condemnations. In his 9 December 1891 speech to the

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said:

"This government had found occasion to express in a friendly spirit but with much earnestness, to the government of the Tsar, its serious concern because of harsh measures being enforced against the Hebrews."

In 1892, new measures banned Jewish participation in local elections despite their large numbers in many towns of the Pale. "The ''Town Regulations'' ("Городовое положение") of 1892 prohibited Jews from the right to elect or be elected to town

Duma A duma () is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were formed across Russia ...

s... That way, reverse

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

was achieved: the majority of town's

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s had to be subjugated to minority governing the town against Jewish interests." The next year, the ''Law Concerning the Names'' ("Об именах") imposed criminal punishment on those Jews who tried to "adopt Christian names" and dictated that Jews must use their birth names ("какими они означены в метрических книгах") in business, writings, advertisements, nametags, etc. Those laws remained in effect until 1917 and, together with the steady anti-Jewish riots known as

pogrom A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...

s, provided the impetus for mass emigration from Russia. In the period from 1881 to 1920, over two million Jews left the

. Most Russian Jewish emigrants settled in the

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, though some immigrated to

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, then a province of the

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References

{{Reflist

External links

Beyond the Pale. May Laws: page 1
an

at JVL

at Institute for Jewish Policy Research Politics of the Russian Empire Antisemitism in the Russian Empire 19th century in the Russian Empire 1882 in law 1882 in the Russian Empire

Overview

Regulations

Subsequent legislation

See also

References

Further reading

External links