Until recently I had belived the Jewish half of my family was decended from Russian Jews and although I still largely belive this the recent War in Ukraine has led me to question some things. For although some things I did know. Modern Ukraine did not exist until 1915 when the term "Ukrainean Provinces" appears for places for Trotsnyks in Southern Ukraine where some of my ancestors are from in Southern Ukraine. The Ukraine Provinces were united as a region and govermentally when when the Bolshyveks seized power in 1917 Ukrainean allies were recognized simultanisly by Lenin &Trotsky. In 1921 the nacent Soviet Government created for the Ukraine the Ukraine Soviet Socialist Republic or Ukraine S.S.R. and creating the Ukraine.
The Ukraine also was however for the old Russian Empire of the Czars a frontier area during the 16th and. 17th centuries between rival empires and states like Sweden and Poland-Lithuania.Other frontier regions were Galicia which was shared by Austria-Hungry,Prussia,and Russia.And. the Ukraine itself created by the Northern War which Sweden and Russia fought to determin who ruled Poland-Lithuania. It led to the the first partitions of Poland and creation of terms "Left Bank Ukraine" and "Right Bank Ukraine" after Fredrick Augustus was thwarted. The Ukraine was from the start a frontier region like today. Jews,Orthadox,Catholic,and Muslim of various sort mingled and intermingled although it was the old country. So because it was frontier the Jews lived there.
The Pale of Settlement was a term for the settlement area for Jews in Czarist Russia until 1915. For although Jews could be wealthy and serve in the army like my ancestors they could not live in Moscow or St.Petersberg. They might succed to much and overthrow our Czarist system after all.It included the Ukraine,Poland,Belerus and Bessarabia(Moldavia&Transnitia) but not Muscovy. My Ukrainean ancestors from Odessia might have thought Putin would be a typical Czar. Zelensky would be like for them as Jews a hero a Jewish Czar fighting for them supported by even the Christians. Hey the times of not Zelensky but a certain king might be upon us. Now let the Czars and his ministers be judged.
