Emigration of Russian Jews to Southern Dobruja at the Beginning of the 20th century
Emigration of Russian Jews to Southern Dobruja at the Beginning of the 20th century

Summary/Abstract: At the beginning of the 20th century, the mass migrations of Jews from Russia were caused by anti-Semitic tensions and pogroms—most of them traveled to the USA and Great Britain, but some of them chose Bulgaria. From 1902 to 1904, 1,277 Jews moved from the Romanov Empire to Bulgaria with a plan to settle in Southern Dobruja; departures in this direction also occurred in the years to follow. Although the Bulgarian state policy towards the local Jewish minority was relatively tolerant, the attitude towards the Jews emigrating from abroad was vastly different and based on anti-Semitic motivations. The authorities in Sofia bent the law to prevent Jewish settlement in Dobruja, which was accompanied by protests from Russian diplomacy. This article is based on the original studies of the materials found in the State Archives in Varna, Bulgaria.

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