Jews Trenton

 

  Russia In very early times Jews migrated to Russia, probably from Byzantium and Crimea. There is evidence of this migration (8 th century) to the district of Kiev, well-known to have been a center of trade from the early days. Al­though the Russian Orthodox Church was opposed to the Jews, the king gave them financial support as trade people. Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1533-1584) hated them and caused those who refused to convert to Christianity to be drowned in the Duna river. In the second half of the 16 th century, there were hardly any Jews living in Mos­cow and Russia. They did not return until the 17 th century. Most of the Tsars placed restrictions on the Jews. Peter the Great (1682– 1725), although acknowledged for his tolerance, would not give Jews the right to settle in Russia. But some baptized Jews, however, found favor with him. Jews were generally prohibited from entering the establishment, however, despite mixed fortunes, they were more or less tolerated. Their

  Polish Jewish Names The earliest historically confirmed news about the region, which today is the State of Poland, dates back to the 10 th century. At that time, and maybe already two centuries earlier, Jews came to Poland from Ukraine, from the Khazarian Empire — between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea — and the Byzantium Empire. The emigration from Germany, especially from Franconia and the Rhine area, and from Bohemia — which took place from the 11 th century — influ­enced the language and the people's names. The Jews brought along, to Poland, the German language of that time, as well as the community organization typical of the German ones. The Yiddish language, still existing, was a combination of German dialect and Hebrew words. The Jews were engaged in this area in trade and money business, the trigger of the setting up of a local economy. The oldest Jewish communities in Poland in the 13 th and 14 th centuries were: Plozk, Kalisch, Krakau, Lemberg, Posna