History of Jews in the Chernigov region

It is reported that Jews lived in the region that was later called the Chernigov Gubernia of Ukraine since around the tenth century. Earlier Jewish traders would have passed through by boat, coming along the rivers that provided most of the travel routes from Russia to the Black Sea and back.

In the 11th century, a Jewish community was established in the city of Chernihiv. The city was reported to be a center of Jewish scholarship until the city was destroyed by the Tatar Mongols in 1239. 

In 1356 most of the area was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1503 it came under the control of Muscovy. The Truce of Deulino in 1618 transferred the region to Poland where it was known as the Chernigov voivodeship. Jews settled in the cities of the region again. In 1623, King Wladyslaw IV published a decree on the expulsion of Jews from Chernihiv province because of complaints from local merchants and craftsmen about competition from Jews. However, the decree was not implemented.

In 1648 the Chernigov region became part of the Hetman state and encompassed the Chernigov regiment, Starodub regiment, and Nezhin regiment as well as parts of the Pereiaslav regiment and Pryluky regiment. 

After the end of Ukraine's autonomy in 1782, the Chernigov region was divided into two vicegerencies —the Chernihiv vicegerency and Novhorod-Siverskyi vicegerency. They survived until 1797 when they became part of the Little Russia gubernia (covering the territory of the Hetman state). 

In 1802 the gubernia was reorganized into two gubernias — Chernigov gubernia and Poltava gubernia — which endured until 1917. 

According to the 1897 census in the Pale of Settlement, the percentage of Jews in the above gubernias were 4.89% and 3.99% respectively. At the same time, just to the west in Kiev gubernia, 12.19% of the people were Jewish.