A Two-Headed Janus: Continuity and Change within the Legal History of Jews in Ukraine, 1905–1932

Abstract

Continuity and Change within the Legal History of Jews in Ukraine, 1905–1932 This article deals with some crucial aspects of the legal history and culture of Jews in the late Russian Empire and the early Soviet Ukraine, 1905–32. Considering numerous unique archive and printed sources, this paper examines the following fields: the legal and political features of the Jews; the tax on kosher meat; the court cases involving participation by Jews; the development of legal terminology; and finally Jewish lawyers before and after 1917. The article argues that the so called »Jewish question« was in essence a legal question. The cases presented in this paper prove a continuity of certain norms and practices between the tsarist and Soviet periods.