Persecution of Jews in Russia

Gennady of Novgorod
Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod (1484–1504) commenced a systematic repression of Judaizers. He was supported by Joseph Volotsky, Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich III of Moscow, and other clergy. Ivan, in 1491, had Skhariya the Jew executed, and Gennady had many Judaizers executed.

Russian monarchs
Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich III of Moscow supported the persecution of Judaizers by Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod and himself had Skhariya the Jew executed in 1491. Ivan III and the later Russian monarchs, Peter the Great, Catherine I, Elizabeth Petrovna, Catherine II, and all of the emperors after her reign, were all Orthodox Christians.

The Russian monarch, Peter the Great (who reigned from 1682 to 1725), who imported thousands of non-Russians, refused to accept Jews into his empire. His successor, the Russian Empress Catherine I, issued an edict in 1727 expelling Jews from Russia and Ukraine: “The Jews ... who are living in Ukraine and other Russian towns are to be immediately deported beyond the frontier, and must henceforth not be allowed to enter Russia under any circumstances.” In 1742, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna also ordered the expulsion of all the Jews from the Russian Empire and called them “enemies of Christ.”

Empress Catherine II of Russia (1762–1796) 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. Jews were still restricted to the Pale of Settlement under Emperors Paul I (1796–1801), Alexander I (1801–1825), and Nicholas I (1825–1855). In 1827, Nicholas I required by law that Jews from 12 to 25 years old join the military and be required to complete 25 years of service. Jews were also compelled to convert to Christianity. The later emperors, Alexander II (1855–1881), Alexander III (1881–1894), and Nicholas II (1894–1917), also kept Jews restricted to the Pale of Settlement.

Emperor Alexander III restricted the Jewish people. He imposed various rules and bans on Jews: they weren't allowed to own land and property 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, or medical professions; their entrance to universities and secondary schools was restricted; 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. He also supported pogroms and attacks on Jews.

Alexander
The Grand Duke Alexander of Lithuania expelled Jews from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1495 and confiscated liens held by Jews against Christians.