LIDA UEZD GENERAL INFORMATION

Just before the division of Poland between Russia, Prussia and Austria, Lida already had become a provincial capital. In the Census of 1766, there were 5,291 Jews in the whole province (head-tax payers). These were divided as follows: In the city of Gofa - 1,167; in Shtutshin - 405; in Ostrina - 400; in Vasilishki - 398; in Novi Dvor - 294; in Zholudok - 287; and in Rozhanka - a few only.

Three times Russia, Prussia and Austria partitioned Poland, which was torn by internal quarrels (1772 - 1793 - 1795). In 1772, Lida Province, like the whole of Vilna and Grodno region, became part of Russia. The conquerors, influenced by the progressive trends from the West, granted the Jews, their new subjects, a civil status equal to that of the Gentiles, with the right to vote for and to be elected to the municipalities, and to run community government in internal affairs.

The Jews of Lida did not increase in number over a period of about fifty years from the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the century. In Vasilishki in 1847, for example, 2,081 Jewish residents were registered; while in 1866, (about twenty years later), there were only 1,383 Jews registered. In Ostrina, there was only a slight increase over a period of one hundred years; from 405 tax-paying Jews in 1766 to 669 tax-paying Jews in 1866. The same phenomenon occurred in the towns Shtutshin, Rozhanka, Novi Dor and others.

In 1897, a census was held in Russia. In the town of Lida, 9,310 Jews were counted, being 56.8% of the total population. In the whole of the Vilna region, out of 204,686 inhabitants, 12.9% were Jews. In the Grodno region, there were 280,489 inhabitants, of whom 17.5% were Jews (the highest percentage of Jews in the Diaspora of the time).

In Shtutshin, the number of Jews decreased rather than increased; their number stood at 1,356. In Vasilishki, the number increased slightly to 2,081. In Zholudok, the number increased to 2,376. In Ostrina, the numbers did not increase because of the fires and the plagues, etc., and stood at 1,440. In Rozhanka, the number of Jews remained at six hundred. In Novi Dvor, the number remained at 490. In Orlova, the number rose by one hundred to 354.

Aliya from the Lida region was very limited since most of the emigrants went to America, a few to Southern Africa, and a small minority to Canada.
Bibliographical List
1) Prof. S. Dubnow: "History of an Eternal Nation ", Dvir, 1950.
2) Dr. Zvi Graetz: "History of Israel", Achiseifer, Warsaw, 1920
3) Prof. Y. Elbogen: "History of Israel in the last 100 Years", "Yizre'el" Publishers, Tel Aviv, 1956.
4) Prof. P. Phillipson: "History of Israel in Recent Generations", "Yizre'el" Publishers, Tel Aviv, 1956.
5) "Encyclopedia of the History of the Great Men of Israel", Y.Chachik Publishers, Jerusalem, 1940.
6) "Hebrew Encyclopedia"(General, Jewish, Israel), Encyclopedia Company Publishers.
7) "Algemeine Encyclopedia", "Dubnow-Fond, New York, 1963.
8) Shaul Ginzberg ,"Historische Werk" New York, 1937.
9) "Yevreiskaia Encyclopedia" (Russian), Brokhoiz-Efron, Petersburg.
10) A.S. Bershadsky: "Russka-Yevreiski Archiv" (Russian), 1882.
11) A.S.Bershadsky: "Litavskie Yevrei" (Russian), 1883
12) "Book of Lithuanian Jews" (the articles on "History of the Jews in Lithuania" by Y. Klozner).
13) Raphael Mahler: "Statistik fun Yiddische Gemeindes".
14) B. Brotzkos: "Statistika Yevreiskano Naselenyia; Y. Shabad: "Vilenskaya Gubernia", both in Russian from the journal "Vascao" (1903, 1905).
15) Julius Gessen: Die Geschichte fun Yidden in Rusland" (Yiddish)
16) Slownik Geograf. Krolestwa Poslkiego, Nakad W. Waalewkieego, 1984.
17) S. Oberland: Encyklopedia Powszechnaa, Warsawa, 1903.
18) Geschichte der Deutschen Juden, Dr. A. Kohut, Berlin, 1898.
19) "Das Land Ober-Ost", Stuttgart, 1917

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