TheUdmurt andTatar Jews are a special ethnocultural group ofAshkenazi Jews, which originally formed in the areas of the mixed Turkic-speaking (Volga Tatars,Kryashens,Bashkirs,Anatris), Finno-Ugric-speaking (Udmurts,Eastern Maris), and Slavic-speaking (Russians) population. From 1807, Jewish people also began to reside in the industrial and administrative centers ofSarapulsky Uezd (predominantly inIzhevsk,Votkinsk,Sarapul).^[1] Until this time the Jews in this region lived only inKazan (from the 18th century).^[2] The occurrence of Jewish communities in the region was made possible only after the decree of EmperorNicholas I of Russia on August 26, 1827, on the introduction of conscription for the Jews (seeCantonists).^[3][4]

TheAshkenazi Jews first appeared on the territory of theUdmurt Republic in the 1830s.^[5][6][7][8] They began to live on the territory ofTatarstan in the same period of time.^[4]

Initially the vast majority ofAshkenazi Jews lived in the workmen's settlement of Izhevsky Zavod (at presentIzhevsk)^{[5][6][7][9][10]} and the uezd city ofSarapul^[9][11] (both inhabited localities were at that time a part of theSarapulsky Uezd of theVyatka Governorate,^[12][13] are now the two largest cities inUdmurtia^[14]), as well as in the city ofKazan^[4] (at the time a town and the administrative center of theKazan Governorate,^[15] now the capital of the Republic ofTatarstan^[4]). Jews of these territories wereYiddish-speaking.^[9]

The local historian and linguist A.V. Altyntsev subdivided the Jews of the region on cultural and linguistic characteristics into two territorial groups: 1) Udmurt Jews (Udmurt Jewry), who lived on the territory of Udmurtia and the north ofTatarstan; 2) Tatar Jews or Kazan Jews (Tatar Jewry or Kazan Jewry), who lived mainly in the city of Kazan and its agglomeration.^[9] According to A.V. Altyntsev, the Udmurt Jewry (dos udmurtishe yidntum) had formed the local Idiom (see Идиом,^[16] Idiom (Spracheigentümlichkeit)^[17]) on the base of the Yiddish of Udmurtia till the 1930s and features of Yiddish of migrants "joined" into it (in the 1930–1940s);^[9] as a result up to the 1970–1980s the Udmurt Idiom (Udmurtish) was divided into two linguistic subgroups: the Central subgroup (with centers –Izhevsk,Sarapul andVotkinsk) and the Southern subgroup (with centers –Kambarka,Alnashi,Agryz andNaberezhnye Chelny).^[9] One of the characteristic features of the Udmurt Idiom is a noticeable number ofUdmurt andTatar loan words.^{[18][19][20][21]}

The word וואָסיאַשנדאָרףvös'ašndorf [vəˈsʲaʃ(ə)ndɔʁf] is a Jewish appellation of the Udmurt village of Kuzebaevo in theAlnashsky District ofUdmurtia^[23][24] where southernUdmurts (inhabitants of the village) are performed pagan oblations up to the present day.^{[25][26][27][28][29]} In connection with the Kazan "centralization" the Tatar Jewry on the main ethnocultural characteristics (language, food, holidays, religion, clothing, etc.) has been more or less holistic.^[9] Also theJewish community of Udmurtia and Tatarstan have had for the greater part cultural-ethnic rather than religious basis because among its members were representatives of different religious characteristics^{[10][18][30][31][32][33]} – a confessional affiliation (Judaism,Atheism,Lutheranism,Catholicism,Orthodox Christianity,Baptists,Adventism,Pentecostalism), a degree of religiosity and syncretic elements on the familial-ethnic level (for example some Jewish families celebrateHanukkah andChristmas^[34]). Currently, due to theassimilation processes the Jews of Udmurtia and Tatarstan were successfully integrated into the Russian-speaking space and is actively used theRussian language.^[9]

In theAlnashsky District ofUdmurtia, there was a fairly large ruralJewish community^{[9][22][35][36]} whose members spoke the Alnashic subdialect ofUdmurtish.^[18][20][32] Many Jews also spokeUdmurt and/orTatar languages.^[19][20][37] TheAshkenazi Jews in the Alnashsky District first appeared early in the 20th century (in the 1910s and 1920s).^[18][38] In the 1940s through the 1960s, the number of Jews in the district never exceeded 25–35 people.^[39] The primary residences of the Jews there were three settlements: the village ofAlnashi, the village ofVarzi-Yatchi and the hamlet ofGarga.^[18][32][40] The Alnashic Jewry celebrated all Jewish holydays except forTu Bishvat. The most revered feasts werePassover (Pesach),Simchat Torah (Simches To(y)reh),Yom Kippur (Yom Kipper),Hanukkah andPurim.^[18][32] TheUdmurts of the district often mistook the Jews forRussians but sometimes for russianizedGermans orUdmurts.^[41][42] In the 1980s, the Jews mostly left Alnashsky District.^[19][37] In 2015, however, a few Jews lived still in the district as members of interethnic (Jewish-Udmurt) families.^[19][37]

Besides, the Alnashsky District occasionally attended theSubbotniks (Hebrew/Yiddishgerim;Russiansubbotniki literally "sabbatarians",novyye zhidy (новые жиды) literally "new Yids",zhidovstvuyushchiye (жидовствующие) literally "Judaizers",iudeystvuyushchiye literally "Judaizers",zhidovery literally "Jewbelievers"; Russian endoethnonymgery toHebrewger). TheSubbotniks came for a recreation (Varzi-Yatchi sanatorium) or on working affairs.^[18][43] Note that the Russian wordzhid (жид) is an antiquated word for 'Jew', and is now considered a racial slur, translating to the English word 'Yid' or 'kike'.^[44]

The Alnashsky District's population has a complex ethnic structure. The district is one of 16 rural district of the Udmurt Republic where theUdmurts make up the majority,^[45] as well as one of the four districts of compact residence ofMari people.^[46] Besides, the Alnashsky District along with theGrakhovsky District and theKiznersky District is the residence territory of theKryashens in the rural area ofUdmurtia.^[47] As a result of the2002 census, among the 4th largest ethnic group of the district population theUdmurts turned out 81.7%, Russians - 12.2%,Tatars - 3.4%,Mari - 2.1%.^[45][48]

Under the moral pressure of leadership, Orthodox clergy and higher ranks of the Russian Empire, the Jews of the region to improve their living conditions turned into the Christian faith (mainlyOrthodox Christianity).^[6][7][8] Such cases are known since 1831.^[7]

Despite this fact inIzhevsk there were officially registered 56orthodox Jews in 1846, 55 in 1847 and 130 in 1849. In 1897, there were 221orthodox Jews in the city ofSarapul, and beyond, on the territory of theSarapulsky Uezd (mostly inIzhevsk) there were 322orthodox Jews.^[7]In 1861, in the city ofKazan there were 184 Jews, mostly craftsmen and retired soldiers and their families. In 1897, the number of Jews inKazan had risen to 1467 people (about 1% of the city population).^[4]

In Izhevsk, since 1849 under the Jewish religious needs the prayer house was allocated (the Dornbush's house).^[6][7][49] A secondsynagogue was opened in 1917 on Verkhniy Uzskiy side street (at present Internatsionalnyiy side street) between Tserkovnaya Street (at present Vadim Sivkov Street) and Gospitalnaya Street (at present Krasnoarmeyskaya Street), it was moved to another location (22 Verkhniy Uzskiy side street) in 1927. Both synagogues were closed in 1930 (by the Soviet authorities).^[6][7]

At the beginning of the 20th century there was a synagogue in the city ofSarapul. The location of the firstsynagogue is unknown, but from 1915 to 1926 the Sarapul synagogue was located in the wing of a building at 38 Karl Marx Street.^[7]

From 1993 through the present time in Udmurtia there isthe Association of Jewish culture of the Udmurt Republic (Russian:Общество еврейской культуры Удмуртской Республики). Created to study the history, culture and traditions of the Jewish people. There is a Sunday school. It has a connection with theJewish Agency and theJDC. In 2000, it had about 400 members.^[50]

In the city ofKazan until the late 19th century, the Jewish community was not officially registered.^[4] Only on March 18, 1897, were the Jews allowed to make a house of worship, and theKazan Jewish community was registered. But because of various delays created by the authorities, the Jewish prayer house was not opened until March 12, 1915, and before that, the community rented a private house for religious services.^[4][51] In 1929, the Kazan synagogue was closed by decision of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the Council of Workers, Peasants and Red Army Deputies.^[4][51] Once again, the Jewish religious community was registered in 1990. And after the return of the building of the former prayer house, theKazan synagogue was opened anew in 1996.^[4][51] It is located on 15 Profsoyuznaya Street in the city ofKazan.^[51][52][53]

In 1989, the club of Jewish culture "Menorah" was established in the Tatar branch of the Russian Cultural Foundation, which since 1993 is called the Kazan cultural center "Menorah".^[4] Since 1991, inKazan there is the branch of theJewish Agency. Also, it operated various institutions of education: since 1995 - the Sunday school, since 1998 - the secondary Jewish School №12; since 2000 - the center ofWorld ORT and the Jewish kindergarten. In June 1997, it was officially registered the Jewish communal-charitable center "Hesed Moshe", where in the late of the 1990s received assistance about two thousand people. Since 1994, it is operated "Maccabi World Union" and the club "Golden Age" (Russian:Золотой возраст).^[4] "Hesed Moshe" publishes the newspaper "Jewish Street" (Russian:Еврейская улица).^[4]

*excludingSarapul

†including Mountain Jews, Georgian Jews, and Central Asian Jews

• History of the Jews in Russia

• Jewish Russian and Soviet history
• Religion in Tatarstan
• History of Udmurtia

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