From Our Father's Harvest by Keith Freedman

Toward the end of his reign Tsar Alexander I had reversed all of his liberal policies and proceeded to plave myumerous restrictions onthe Jews. The Pale of Settlement, an area which had been established in 1772 and in which Jewish residence was confined, was further tightened and mahy areas were withdrawn from it. When Tsar Nicholas I cvame tothe throne he continued Alexander's poliies towards the Jews with added vigour. In 1827, he instituted Priziv: compulsory military service for all male Jews over the age of twelve, for aperiod of twenty0-five years. The object of thispolicy was to uproot young Jewish boys at an impressionalble age from the Jewish influence of their homes, and witrher onvert them to Christianity or kill them off. To implement this policy, the Jewish communnities were constantly being raided by the Tsar's Cossacks who captured all the young voys they ould lay their hands on, regardless of age.

Following a statute which was put into law in 1804, Jews were permitted to engage in agriculture. To encourage them to leave their urban existence, monetary loans and tax relief for lengthy periods were offered. In 1807, the first settlements were founded in Novorussiya (New Russia_, that vast area of the south-eastern Ukraine which had only recently come under Russian dominion. The fist region to be opened up was in the government of Kherson where 300 families were settled. By 1810 their numbers had grown to 600 families spread over eight colonies. To maintain these settlers 145,000 rubles had been spent by the government. then a change o heart on the part of the ministry responsible halted further development. Contemporary reports stated: "The Jewish colonists are dying of hunger and cold in the midst of the steppes. 5000 out of 10,000 died in a few year.(*) The only English sources are The Jewish Encyclopedia" Funk and Wagnal; and "The Russian Jews-emancipation or Extermination", a translation of a work written in 18934 by L.Errera.

Following the unrest in the cities caused by the institution of military service in 1827, it was suggested that agricultural development recommence as an alternative means of getting more Jews out of their urban way of life. It was not until 1833 that a further contingent of would-be settlers set out from the northern cities. This time they were directed towards Siberia in order to populate another newly developing area. 1,217 families were settled there by 1837 when further emigration was stopped.

A new site for colonization was found in the Government of Yekaterinoslav. Under Tsar Nicholas I, the minister of Domains Count Kesseler urged Jews from Lithuania and Courland to settle in Yekaterinoslav. Between 1840 and 1855 seventeen colonies were established in the region.

The journey was a lengthy and arduous one. public transport in 1840 in Russia was virtually non-existent. The new settlers traveled in large wagons laden with their household possessions along the rough roads leading south. They were exposed to the weather and to the dangers of attack by thieves and bandits. Periodically the journey was hastened when the travelers were able to transfer to the river barges. Food was difficult to obtain and disease was rife. Many died on the roadside. Months passed s the fragile caravan wended its way south following the Dnieper River and finally arrived at the city of Alexandrovsk. This was the gateway to the wide unknown plains of Novorussiya. From there they once again boarded wagons and headed east for 10 miles until they finally reached their destination - the colonies.

Vivid descriptions of the experiences of the colonists of those times are given by Rabbi Yaakov Lipshitz of Kovno i his book "Zikhron Yaakov". Sections of a chapter entitled 'The Yekaterinoslav Movement in the year 5604-5605 (1844)" are quoted as follows:

"In those days, His Majesty the Tsar Nicholas the First published his noble desire to enlarge the settlement in the region of Yekaterinoslav, whereby all who desired to settle there the government would give land, freehold gratis, as well as assistance and support for the needs of settlement on it, such as: oxen, ploughing, harvesting and sowing tools. And another advantage the Government would give to adbance the cause of settlement and preparedness there: all settlers in the plains fo Yehaterinoslav would be given freedom for their sons from army service for the twenty-five year service period.

Those who absorbed from the atmosphere exaggerated rumors, related of the great cheapness there, whereby the price of a chicken was a Kopek and an half; a good's price 10 kopeks and so one, according to these values. The values of the masses in those days were to praise the essence of cheapness of all commodities....

"And even though the truth of the matter was peculiar in view of the essence that in labor of the soil they had not engaged al all, but because of the great pressure which prevailed in those days, and more so relieve their sons of army service, many flocked to register themselves on the government lists., to qualify for work on the land on the plans of Yekaterinoslav.

"In those days there were no steel railways, no stone roads in our land. To transfer a complete family over such vast distance, by means of carts fro city to city, took several moons, and the outlay would be an exorbitant sum. So the settlers bought horses, prepared wagons for themselves with hoods of cloth, and so arrayed family after family set off for Yekaterinoslav. And all who saw the wagons immediately recognized that they were the travelers to Yekaterinoslav. And those of wisdom and knowledge had great reservations in the depths of their hearts and discreetly said": would that their return be as their exodus - because they know in advance what would be their fate."

Before leaving Lithuania the new settlers had been assured by the officials that they would be given every assistance during the initial period of colonization to build houses and establish their farms. They were led to understand that some sort of dwellings already existed on the colonies and that agricultural experts would advise them and teach them farming methods. How great was their shock when they arrived to find nothing but the rolling plains to greet them. The colonies were merely names on a map: no buildings existed and no officials came to welcome them. What were the settlers to do? They had come almost one thousand miles: they could not turn back now. So they settled down and made the best of things, living in their wagons and in the open.

Eventually an official did arrive, bringing with him tents, sacks of grain, and a few primitive tools. He informed the settlers that they would have to live in tents until they built their houses themselves from the surrounding trees. As for his agricultural advice, he merely handed over the seed, told them to plant it, and left never to be seen again. The settlers had no option other than  to struggle on in their ignorance. Being city dwellers they know little of planting crops or building houses. However, they set to work, pitched their tents, ploughed up the land and planted the seed, pray that by some miracle their efforts would be rewarded by a successful crop. Then began the long wait. The weeks and months passed. The settlers were exposed to the rigors of the weather in their flimsy dwellings. Besides the physical discomforts there was the inevitable mental strain due to the complete metamorphosis in their way of life. For centuries their ancestors had lived in cities, rarely seeing green fields or an unbroken skyline. Now they had given up all their urban habits and comforts and transferred themselves to a remote and isolated region. Many settlers simply could not adjust to the change.

Lipshitz continues with a description of the development of the communal structure":

"On their arrival at theri destinations there came not rest nor settlement, and immediately it was obvious that theri freedom had been taken fro them because they were placed under the rule of clerks of the realm, according to the regulations which were enavted by the governmentk to supervise them and to sustain the setlement there. The clersk behaved towards them almost according to military regine and style of that time, and also physical punishments were not lacking for all misdemeanors and slight errors in the orfer of behaviour an laor, to which they had not yet become accustomed to the need for.

"Menashe Margolis tells in his memoirs and relates the words of Russian reporters and commentator, that the clerks did not pass on to the colonists the support which the government had allocated to them; to buy animals, to plough, to sow, and to plant, and so one. And so they were forced to eat the remnants of their toil which they had brought from their homes. By these means the clerks stood over them and behaved towards them will all the severity of the law. For example, those returning from there relate: by law it was the duty of the men to engage in field word and upon the women fell the work of the house, to draw water and cut wood and so one. Once a colonist woman weakened and a clerk saw that her husband was carrying water home. So he beat the woman with a whip before the eyes of her husband and sons, one of whom fainted from distress at his mother's pain and cries."

Disappointment came early in the new life of the settlers: the crops failed resulting in famine and many deaths. Many families despaired. Once again they packed their belongings, left the colonies and headed for the nearest towns or villages, there to pursue a life they had been accustomed to as traders and craftsmen.

Lipshitz's summing up of the early agricultural endeavor is almost entirely pessimistic:

"So many of the settlers on the plains of Yekaterinoslav escaped from there and returned naked and bereft of everything. From much stress of the journey and their great troubles, their faces blackened. And all who saw them lamented for them the dirge of the mourner: "Their exodus from Courland and their return from Ekaterinoslav". Only isolated remnants stayed there. After a number of years their messengers moved about to gather them books, and also money for support to establish their schools to teach Torah. Only after the passage of many years did the condition improve a little of those who had the means to remain in their places.