Persecution of Jews in Russia

Tsar Ivan IV
In 1563, when the Russian armies captured Polotsk, Tsar Ivan IV ordered that all Jews were to be drowned in the river unless they converted to Christianity.

Empress Elizabeth Petrovna
In 1742, Elizabeth Petrovna, Empress of Russia, ordered the expulsion of all the Jews out of the Russian Empire and called Jews the “enemies of Christ”.

Empress Catherine II
Empress Catherine II (who reigned from 1762 to 1796) segregated Jews and restricted them to the Pale of Settlement. She doubled the taxes on Jews; the added taxes were lifted if they converted to Orthodox Christianity.

Emperor Nicholas I
In 1827, Emperor Nicholas I (who reigned from 1825 to 1855) required by law that Jews from 12 to 25 years old join the military and were required 25 years of service. Jews were also compelled to convert to Christianity.

Emperor Alexander III
Emperor Alexander III (who reigned from 1881 to 1894) favored Orthodox Christianity. He supported pogroms and attacks on Jews, and imposed various rules and bans on Jews: they weren't allowed land and property ownership in rural areas, they weren't allowed to hold government office, run schools, or appeal against a court sentence, they could be deported if they lived outside the Pale of Settlement, they weren't allowed to work in the legal, military, and medical professions, they were restricted in their entrance to universities and secondary schools, they weren't allowed to vote in zemstva and municipal elections, they were forced to sell up businesses, and their rights to trade or sell products were restricted.

Kishinev pogrom
Over 40 Jews were killed in the Kishinev pogrom led by Orthodox Christian priests in 1903.