Jewish Shtetl (Town)

Jewish Shtetl (Town) was the typical form of residence for Jews in Russia and Eastern European countries (which were mainly under Polish government).

For hundreds of years, Jews used to live in cohesive towns and maintain an authentic Jewish way of life there. The Jewish towns were a symbol of rooted, authentic Jewish life and the proper way to manage a Jewish community.

Distribution

There were two main reasons for the existence of Jewish towns. One was the convenience in managing community life without external interference, complete immersion in a world of Torah and fear of Heaven, disconnected from worldly troubles and trials. But this did not force Jews to settle specifically in towns, and many Jews preferred life in large cities (either because of their businesses or for other reasons). The second reason, which caused the expansion of the "shtetl" phenomenon, was the decree of the "Pale of Settlement" that began during the period of the Russian Tsars, forbidding Jews from living in city centers and large cities, and allocating isolated settlements for Jews as part of a policy to develop remote places, such as many areas in Ukraine, or Polish territories annexed to Russia. Because of this, Jewish towns were widespread mainly in Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Polish territories annexed to Russia.

This period began in the Middle Ages and continued until the almost complete extinction of the towns during World War II and its continuation under the Communist regime.

Character of Life in the Towns

Spiritual Life

Nay Shvintsian

The Jewish towns differed from one another in several areas. Towns in Polish and Lithuanian territories were mainly populated by Mitnagdim, disciples of the Gaon of Vilna, while in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine (and only a little in Poland and Lithuania), the towns had a distinctly Chassidic character. Another difference was in the standard of material life; some towns were inhabited by the impoverished to the point of real hunger, while others were developed towns with affluent residents (the phenomenon of affluent towns disappeared during the "Pale of Settlement" decree because of occupational restrictions placed on Jews).

Another difference was in the level of spiritual life. While certain towns had Torah institutions from early childhood to yeshiva, in other towns there was barely a elementary teacher. This character greatly influenced the town's residents, and in towns without Torah institutions, the residents were usually simple Jews who barely knew how to read and write and the form of Hebrew letters. These Jews were characterized by Jewish simplicity and wonderful fear of Heaven.

In contrast, there were towns that served as symbols for Jews who were Torah scholars and respected Chassidim (like Nevyl and Kremenchug).

Material Life

Typical street in a town (in the town of Lechva)

The Jews of the town were mostly impoverished and earned their living from odd jobs or leasing taverns from local landowners.

Due to the great distance of villages and towns from large cities and in the absence of transportation, the towns served as connecting links between remote villages and district cities, which gave an additional source of income to the town's residents. Once every few days, the villagers would come to the town for the local "market," where they would sell their produce and buy products. The market square was the most important place in the economic life of the town, and around it were built the residents' homes and public institutions.

The language of speech and writing among the Jews of the towns was Yiddish. In towns where children learned in cheder and yeshiva, men knew Hebrew letters and the holy tongue from prayer and studies in cheder, while women did not know the language but recognized the Hebrew letters.

The Yiddish language served as a barrier between the non-Jewish residents and the Jewish residents.

Educational Institutions

Cheder

Most residents of the shtetls were poor, and because of this, even in places where there was an organized cheder, it would operate inside the local synagogue, without an independent building. In many places, even the yeshivas, especially the smaller ones, would study in synagogues.

In shtetls known for their Talmudic greatness, there were large and magnificent yeshivas, such as in Volozhin, Minsk, and Shklov.

Community Figures

The prominent figures in the community were the Mara D'Asra who led the community, the Shochet and Bodek (Shub), and the Melamed. In some of the shtetls, the community Rabbi was also the Melamed himself.

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The Virtue of the Shtetls

In the talks of the Rebbe Rayatz, he laments that nowadays there are no "shtetlach," since in them life was more peaceful, and therefore more authentic and serious. The "Ein Yaakov" that they would study between Mincha and Maariv, and the Midrashim and Pirkei Avot that they studied on Shabbatot were a living wellspring for good middot and a guide for simple people. And when someone had free time, he would enter a synagogue to study or recite a chapter of Tehillim.

Disappearance of Jewish Shtetls

Starting from approximately 5631 (1871), there began a significant decline and extinction of Jewish shtetls. This came following the construction of railways that bypassed small shtetls, causing a drastic decline in the economy of the shtetls, which had served as transit stations between large cities. Trade relations with gentile neighbors were damaged, and severe pogroms began in Jewish communities, backed by turning a blind eye and even encouragement from the government. Many attacks against Jews occurred during World War I, the Civil War in Russia, and wars between Russia/Ukraine and Poland.

Against this background, many young Jews left the shtetls and migrated to Central and Western Europe, and some even to the United States and Eretz Yisrael. With the end of Czarist rule in Russia, the boundaries of the Pale of Settlement were breached, and Jews were allowed to settle in the cities of the Soviet Union. In total, about two million Jews left the shtetls of the Pale of Settlement during those years.

With the extermination of most of Central and Eastern European Jews in the Holocaust, the phenomenon of Jewish shtetls finally passed from the world.

See Also

• The Pale of Settlement
• Storms in the Negev