The Self-Perception of Lithuanian–Belarusian Jewry in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
The Self-Perception of Lithuanian–Belarusian Jewry in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
This chapter examines the Lithuanian–Belarusian Jewry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. From the earliest times of their settlement in the easternmost Slavonic and Baltic territories, the Jews have been aware of their special status, first as discoverers of lands beyond the limits of the Jewish world of that time, and then as a distinct part of that world. Potential economic and social opportunities and freedom of religious practice and self-government, combined with the benevolence of rulers and the relative tolerance of the surrounding population, gave rise to the distinctiveness of Lithuanian–Belarusian Jews in relation to the rest of Ashkenaz. The term ‘Lithuanian–Belarusian Jewry’ refers to the Jews who lived in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including the protectorate of Kurland, after the Union of Lublin in 1569. In Yiddish, the land was referred to as ‘Liteh’ and its Jews referred to themselves as ‘Litvaks’. Jewish Liteh also included the region of Podlasie that became a part of the Polish crown territories (the ethnically Polish part of the Commonwealth) as a result of the Union of Lublin.
Keywords: Lithuanian–Belarusian Jewry, Liteh, Litvaks, European Jews, historical boundaries, self-perception, Jewish Lithuania
Liverpool Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.