The Independent Jewish Workers Party () was a

Jew 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 ...

ish

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. The party was founded in 1901 on the initiative of

Sergei Zubatov Sergei Vasilyevich Zubatov ( rus, Серге́й Васи́льевич Зуба́тов, p=zʊˈbatəf; April 7 O.S. 1864 – March 15, 1917) was a Russian Empire police Administration (government)">administrator, best known as the advocate of "p ...

, the head of the Tsarist secret police (the ''

Okhrana The Department for the Protection of Public Safety and Order (), usually called the Guard Department () and commonly abbreviated in modern English sources as the Okhrana ( rus , Охрана, p=ɐˈxranə, a=Ru-охрана.ogg, t= The Guard) w ...

'').Independent Jewish Workers Party
/ref> Zubatov had been impressed by the growth of the

General Jewish Labour Bund The General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia (), generally called The Bund (, cognate to , ) or the Jewish Labour Bund (), was a Jewish secularism, secular Jewish Socialism, socialist party initially formed in the Russian Empire ...

, a clandestine Jewish socialist party. The Independent Jewish Workers Party was intended to counter the influence of the Bund, mobilizing Tsarist loyalty among Jewish workers. The party argued that Jewish workers would benefit economically from Tsarist rule, as long as they stayed aloof of political protests. Its followers were nicknamed ''Zubatovchikes''.Johnpoll, Bernard K. ''The Politics of Futility; The General Jewish Workers Bund of Poland, 1917-1943''. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1967. p. 28 The party had its headquarters in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, and local branches in

Vilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Kraslava,

Bobruisk Babruysk (, ) or Bobruysk (, ; , ) is a city in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Babruysk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is situated on the Berezina River. Babruysk o ...

and

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

. The party was led by disgruntled former Bundists such Manya Wilbushewitz (later Shochat), A. Tschermerisky, G. Shakhnovich and Y. Volin. The party was also joined by figures from the Minsk faction of

Poale Zion Poale Zion (, also romanized ''Poalei Tziyon'' or ''Poaley Syjon'', meaning "Workers of Zion") was a movement of Marxist–Zionist Jewish workers founded in various cities of Poland, Europe and the Russian Empire at about the turn of the 20th c ...

, such as Joseph Goldberg and Hayyah Kagan. In 1902, the party was joined by Heinrich Shayevich (a General Zionist). The total membership of the party probably never went beyond 4,000. The Bund fiercely opposed the launching of the Independent Jewish Workers Party. When the party held demonstrations, the Bund organized militant counter-manifestations. The party often had to cancel meetings due to Bundist protests. Due to anti-Jewish policies of the Tsarist government, manifested through

pogroms A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of 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 attacks on Jews i ...

, the party failed to take root. In 1903 the Minister of Interior,

Vyacheslav von Plehve Vyacheslav Konstantinovich von Plehve ( rus, Вячесла́в Константи́нович фон Пле́ве, p=vʲɪtɕɪˈslaf kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ fɐn ˈplʲevʲɪ; – ) was a Russian politician who served as the directo ...

, ordered that the party disband itself. On February 5, 1903, the party informed its members in Vilno that party activities would temporarily cease. In June, a party conference decided to liquidate the party.Minczeles, Henri. ''Histoire générale du Bund: un mouvement révolutionnaire juif''. Paris: Editions Austral, 1995. pp. 103-104

References

{{reflist Political parties of minorities in Imperial Russia Political parties established in 1901 Political parties disestablished in 1903 Jewish political parties Monarchist parties in Russia