The party was founded in 1901 on the initiative of Sergei Zubatov, the head of the Tsarist secret police (the Okhrana).
[2] The party argued that Jewish workers would benefit economically from Tsarist rule, as long as they stayed aloof of political protests.
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, such as Joseph Goldberg and Hayyah Kagan.
[2] Due to anti-Jewish policies of the Tsarist government, manifested through pogroms, the party failed to take root.