History of the Jews in Moscow

Prior to the 19th century, Jews had arrived in the city as prisoners of the Russo-Polish war or after 1790, as merchants allowed one month stays.

After the collapse of the Soviet government and the mass migration of a huge portion of Russian Jews from the country, Moscow has still maintained a sizable Jewish population.

Jewish merchants from White Russia, particularly from the town of Shklov, began to arrive to Moscow, but they remained only for short periods.

[2] During the rule of Tsar Alexander II, Jews who met certain criteria were allowed to live in the city.

These were: Jews who had university degrees, completed military service, or were pharmacists, dentists, midwives, or first-guild merchants.

Jews were contributing greatly to the economy, and owned 29.3 percent of the capital declared by first-guild merchants, and were some of the most important bankers and entrepreneurs.

"[1] Some 20,000 Jews were expelled from the city in short order, and the events sent shock waves through the entire Jewish community of Russia.

The Jewish section of the Soviet Communist Party, Yevsektsiya was headquartered in Moscow, and published the daily Yiddish newspaper, "Der Emes" (the truth) from 1920 to 1938.

After the war, a number of the main committee members were arrested on trumped-up false charges on Stalin’s orders, and 10 people were ultimately executed.

[2] One particular motivation for Stalin was the Jewish reaction to Golda Meir's visit to Moscow in 1948 as the first diplomatic representative of the State of Israel.

A spontaneous mass gathering in her honor occurred near the Choral Synagogue during her visit on Rosh Hashanah, to Stalin's displeasure.

Starting from 1961, a separation was erected and enforced in the Choral Synagogue to keep foreign visitors, as well as Israeli diplomats, from interacting with the local congregation.

The Moscow Jewish Dramatic Ensemble was established in 1962, and began drawing large crowds performing Yiddish folklore plays, such as those of Sholem Aleichem.

At the same time, anti-semitic organizations grew louder and there were rumors that a pogrom could occur during the Moscow celebrations of the millennium of Christianity in Russia.

[3] While a significant portion of Jews left the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and the 1990s for Israel and the United States, the Moscow Jewish community remains large.