The Jews of the Samara province and the provinces of Western Siberia of the second half of the 19th - early of the 20 th century: a comparative analysis of the adaptive practices of communities “outside the line”

The history of Jewish communities in the Russian Empire is of great interest, due to the importance of the problems of national-confessional relations in modern Russia. A specific important subject of the problem is the existence of Jewish communities outside the pale of Jewish settlement in the provincial cities of pre-revolutionary Russia. An important subject for the study is the adaptation practices of Jews who found themselves in a foreign-ethnic environment as a result of migrations. The comparison of adaptation practices in different regions is of research interest. The aim of the study is a comparative analysis of the application of adaptation practices on the example of comparing the Jewish communities of the Samara province and the provinces of Western Siberia: Tobolsk and Tomsk in the second half of the 19th - early of the 20^th century. The paper is based on a wide range of historical sources: normative legal acts, office documentation preserved in local and central archives, statistical materials, notes of travelers, materials of the periodical press. The article considers the main features of the formation of Jewish communities “outside the line”, the similarities and differences of Jewish migrations in comparison with one of the major provinces of European Russia and the two most populated provinces of Western Siberia: Tobolsk and Tomsk provinces. The investigation deals with the economic aspects of the life of Jews in cities outside the Jewish settlement, the problems of perception of the forms of life of the surrounding community, the relationship with the administration, community and religious life as practices of adaptation. As a result of the research work, it was found that the adaptation practices in the provincial cities of the Russian Empire, located outside the Jewish pale of settlement, were quite close. First of all, the Jews who found themselves in a alter-ethnic and alter-confessional environment were engaged in issues of survival, which was manifested in the practice of inclusion in the existing economic system of the region. The displaced Jews primarily sought economic sphere for income generation, including those that were not prestigious for the local population (usury, wine trade), and innovative in the service sector. Mostly Jewish immigrants were engaged in crafts, trade, and services. An important factor of adaptation was the assimilation of the language, the norms of behavior, and the communication system of the host society. The organization of community and religious life was very important for the preservation of national and confessional identity and survival in the local community. In the main features, the adaptation practices of the Jews of the Samara province and the Jews of Western Siberia were similar. At the beginning of the 20th century in the provincial cities of the Russian Empire, outside of the Jewish settlement, regional Jewish communities were formed, which successfully adapted to local conditions.

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