The Russian Revolution and the Jews

Jews were present in relatively significant numbers in the revolutionary movements of the Russian Empire, drawn by promises of equality and marked by the discriminations of the Pale of Settlement and the pogroms. They engaged in various currents, from the Jewish socialist Bund to Russian parties such as the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. The revolution of 1917 abolished the legal restrictions weighing on Jews, temporarily opening possibilities for social mobility and integration. But the new Soviet power also undertook to dismantle traditional religious and communal institutions, deemed contrary to its project. The civil war that followed was accompanied by murderous pogroms, particularly in Ukraine, which struck Jewish populations severely.

Sources & resources

• The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe ↗
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan