"Provisions on the organization of the Jews" 1804 as an instrument of influence on the identity of the Jewish communities in the Russian empire

Abstract

The legal act “Regulations on the Organization of Jews” illustrates the socio-cultural practices of the Jewish community, which were used by them to form and preserve their own identity in the conditions of the discriminatory domestic policy of the Russian Empire. The purpose of this study is to analyze the legal status of the Jewish population in the Russian Empire for further determination: the features of resettlement, the influence of the imperial government on the spiritual and cultural life of Jews. The methodology research is based on general historical and general scientific methods such as: historical-systemic, typological, functional analysis and descriptive. The research also uses the methods of cultural anthropology to analyze social mechanisms of resistance aimed at preserving identity, with a focus on the development of educational, religious and cultural institutions. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the clarification of legal practices of influence on the formation of identities of Jewish communities. Conclusions. Developed by the imperial government, the regulation on the organization of Jews in the Russian Empire was discriminatory in nature, namely: forced integration through language policy, restrictions on wearing traditional clothing, as well as regulation of professional activities. These measures, according to the authorities, were supposed to promote assimilation by weakening the role of socio-cultural practices aimed at preserving Jewish identity. However, they provoked resistance, stimulating the Jewish community to search for new forms of preserving religious and ethnic identity.