Jewish Cossacks

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Of the different branches of

Jews into their society were the Cossacks of Ukraine
.

Changes of sentiment during the 17th century

When

Sigismund III (1587–1632), and Cossacks wanted to baptize Jews now. The guilds that were established, which always feared the competition of the Jews, played a prominent part in connection with various accusations. The higher nobility, however, depended largely on some part of Jews to act as their leaseholders-arendators, agents, and financial managers, and this served in a significant measure as a bar to persecution.[citation needed
]

Historical records

Cossack society was ethnically diverse and some Cossacks may have had their origins as far away as Scotland.

mercenary soldier from Scotland. Ivan Pidkova was from Moldavia. Jews also served in the ranks of the Cossacks, although the mechanism of their entry into the Cossack ranks is unclear. The Cossack regiments in Ukraine served administrative purposes, besides military, and had constant demand for able administrators, educated diplomats and scribes. Jews could fulfill those tasks because of their level of literacy and command of several languages.[2] Although the Cossacks were not known for religiosity before the 17th century, it is presumed that conversion was a requirement for promotion in the Cossack ranks by the early 17th century. In 1681, Ahmad Kalga, chief councilor of the Khan of Crimea, complained to the Polish ambassador, Piasaczinski, that the Cossacks of the Lower Dnieper had attacked Crimea. Piasaczinski replied that the Cossacks were not subjects of the king of Poland, and that he therefore could not be held responsible for the "acts of uncontrollable rovers of the desert that were apostates from all faiths, Poles, Muscovites, Wallachians, Turks, Tatars, Jews, etc., among them".[3]

The

Karaite Judaism.)[5]

In 1594, a Jew known only by his first name Moses served as a deputy to Stanislav Khlopitsky, the Cossack emissary to the court of Emperor

Rudolph II. Both Khlopitsky and Moses took oath on the Cossack Host's behalf in their treaty with the Emperor.[6]
Historian of the Cossacks Yuri Mytsyk describes a case in which, in 1602, a Jew from the town of Berestye converted to Christianity and joined
Sigismund III for assistance in restitution of his children and property. His quest was successful, and his children joined him.[6]

Saul Borovoy

In the 1930s, a cache containing a large number of documents written in

Hebrew and Ukrainian written in Hebrew script was found by the historian and linguist Saul Borovoy (ru) in the archives of the Zaporozhian Sich. Kept at the State Archive in Moscow since the razing of the Sich by General Peter Tekeli
in 1775, the documents dealt with foreign and fiscal policies of the Sich, and evidenced not only the presence of (presumably converted) Jews in the upper stratum of the Cossack society (at least 4 are mentioned by name in the Borovoy dissertation), but also in the regiments as well.

The Sich Archive became the basis of Borovoy's 1940 tripartite doctoral dissertation. Parts I and II were published in 1940 in

Leningrad and 1941 in Moscow respectively. Borovoy could not return to this subject in the post-War anti-semitic climate in Soviet Union, and the 3rd part of his dissertation was never printed and the typographic sets already assembled were destroyed. Borovoy's articles on the subject first came under attack from the anti-Semitic circles in Soviet academia, because his research refuted the label of cowardice and timidity commonly applied to the Jews by the anti-Semites. Borovoy demonstrated that Jewish society in Poland became polarized due to a large stratum of destitute Jews that were marginalized by the Qahal, and these Jews were likely to lapse and seek their fortunes with the Cossacks. Later Borovoy was criticized by some Jewish circles unwilling to admit the class-related antagonism that made possible Jewish presence on the Cossacks' side.[6][citation needed
]

During the 18th century

There are many known instances of Jews joining Cossacks in the era that preceded the Destruction of Sich in 1775. One notable case is Simon Chernyavsky who was baptised at the Sich in 1765. He later served as the Sich emissary to the court of Empress

heder class during a Cossack raid in 1732. Yakov Kryzhanovsky became a Cossack before 1768, he also served as a deacon at the Sich church. He was literate in many languages, and distinguished himself under the command of Petro Kalnyshevsky during the Russo-Turkish War of 1769-1774.[6]

In folklore

polkovnyk named Matviy Borokhovych (1647), whose family name may be read as "son of Baruch" and hence may indicate his Jewish origin.[7] In fact, there is a real 17th century polkovnyk Mykhailo Borokhovych [uk]. A Matviy Borokhovych was also among the leaders of the Khmelnytsky Uprising.[citation needed
]

Cossack surnames of Jewish origin

Susanna Luber's study of registration books of the Registered Cossacks contain many surnames that indicate Jewish origin.[8] Cossack families of Jewish origin include Hertzyk, Osypov-Perekhrest, Perekhryst, Kryzhanovsky, Markevych/Markovych, Zhydenko, Zhydok, Zhydovynov, Leibenko, Yudin, Yudaev, Khalayev, Nivrochenko, Matsunenko, Shabatny, Zhydchenkov, Shafarevich, Marivchuk, Magerovsky, Zrayitel' and others.[9]

The Israilovsky Regiment

In December 1787,

philo-Semitism.[10]

The

Zaporozhians
. He also gathered around him a coterie of rabbis with whom he would discuss theology.

One in particular, Joshua Zeitlin, a wealthy merchant and scholar, became his close friend. "The two men - consort of the Russian Empress and rabbi in yamulka and ringlets - would ride together chatting amicably. Zeitlin 'walked with Potemkin like a brother and friend'. He achieved a position that no practising Jew in Russia has ever achieved before or since, remaining proudly unassimilated, steeped in rabbinical learning and piety, yet standing high in the Prince's court. Potemkin promoted Zeitlin to 'court counsellor' with a title of nobility. Russian Jews called him 'HaSar Zeitlin' (lord Zeitlin)."[10]

After discussions with Zeitlin and his perambulant rabbis about the fighting prowess of the Biblical Israelites, the Prince decided to arm the Jews. Potemkin had raised a Jewish cavalry squadron on his estate. When the

Russo-Turkish War started, he wanted to liberate Constantinople for the Orthodox Church, and he supported the idea of helping the Jews liberate Jerusalem
.

Potemkin founded the Israelovsky Regiment of Jewish Cossacks. They were commanded by a German,

Prince de Ligne, doyen of 18th-century cosmopolitanism and a philo—Semite wrote: 'Prince Potemkin formed the singular project of raising a regiment of Jews,' he wrote to his master, the Habsburg emperor Joseph II. 'He intends to make Cossacks of them. Nothing amused me more.'[10]

Soon two squadrons of Jewish Cossacks were on patrol against the Turks, but Ligne claimed that they were not a success. After seven months' training, he sadly decided to end his rare experiment.

This matter remains controversial, since no documents to corroborate the Potemkin regiment are present in the State Military Archive in Moscow.

It has been suggested that some of the Jewish Cossacks followed Colonel Berek Joselewicz and joined Napoleon's Polish cavalry formations.[10] Joselewicz was killed in a night ambush by the Hungarians during Napoleon's 1809 campaign. It has been suggested that there were veterans of the Potemkin's regiment fighting for the Emperor at some of his most celebrated victories.[10]

Jewish Polish Cossacks

The great Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz helped to form another regiment of Jewish Cossacks, "Hussars of Israel", to fight against the Russian Empire, alongside Britain, France and Turkey, in the Crimean War. These lancers fought alongside dissident Cossacks against the Russians outside Sevastopol.[11]

Civil War in Russia

During the Civil War (1918–1920) that ensued after the

Vasily Chernetsov, so that a whole regiment of the battalion was called the “Jewish Legion”. The Chernetsov Cossacks (Chernetsovtsy) gained prominence by initiating armed resistance against Bolsheviks in the Don area.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia - Cossacks, Early Uprisings
  2. ^ Боровий С. А. Євреї в Запорозькій Ciчi. //Праці Інституту єврейської культури ВУАН. - К., 1930.
  3. ^ (Kostomarov, l.c. p. 55)
  4. ^ (1601; Harkavy, "Yevrei-Kazaki," in "Russki Yevrei," 1880, p. 348; from Responsa Bayit Chadash hayeshanot (שו"ת בית חדש הישנות), 57)
  5. ^ (Kostomarov, l.c. p. 135
  6. ^ a b c d "Как евреи были козаками » Политарена". Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  7. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia- illCossacks, Complaint of Cossack Depredations
  8. ^ "ЄВРЕЇ-КОЗАКИ - Козацтво - Web-журнал "Інтелектус" - "Патентбюро"".
  9. ^ Мішалов М. Українські кобзарські думи. До питання виникнення розвитку та сучасного стану українського кобзарського епосу. — Сідней, 1990 (Ukrainian) Mishalow M. Ukrainian kobzar dumy. Regarding the question of the development and contemporary state of Ukrainian kobzar epos - Sydney, 1990
  10. ^ a b c d e Simon Sebag Montefiore on Russia's treatment of the Jews -in The Spectator Sep 16, 2000 Archived 2008-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ MICKIEWICZ AND THE JEWISH LEGION IN THE MEMOIRS OF THE CRIMEAN WAR OF SADYK PASHA (MICHAŁ CZAJKOWSKI) HAROLD B. SEGEL, The Polish Review, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Summer, 1965), pp. 78-81 (4 pages)
  12. ^ http://slavakazakam.ru/donarm5?start=12 Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine White Cossack Resistance against Bolsheviks

Sources

- p. 103.

  • Luber S. Die Herkunft von Zaporoger Kozaken des 17 Jahrhunderts nach personennamen. Berlin, 1983. - p. 100.
  • Архив Юго-Западной России. - Киев., 1914. - Ч. III. - Т.4. - № 45. - p. 100-102.
  • Січинський В. Чужинці про Україну. - К., 1992. - p. 99-100.
  • Центральний держащий історичний apxiв України в Києві). - Ф. 229. - On. I. - № 232. - Арк. 199.
  • Лиман І. I. Церква в духовному cвіті Запорозького козацтва. - Запоріжжя, 1992. - p. 8.
  • Скальковський А. О. Історія Нової Ciчi або останнього Коша Запороэького. -Дніпропетровськ, 1994. - p. 192.
  • Apxiв Коша Нової Запорозької Ciчi. Опис справ. 1713-1776. - К., 1994. - С. 77.
  • Боровий С. А. Євреї в Запорозькій Ciчi. //Праці Інституту єврейської культури ВУАН. - К., 1930.
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