Thesecond Kishinev pogrom took place on October 19–20, 1905 in Kishinev (nowChișinău), two and a half years after the firstKishinev pogrom. It was part of the wave of pogroms that swept across theRussian Empire after the tsar'sOctober Manifesto in the wake of the abortiveRevolution of 1905. 19 Jews were murdered and 55 wounded.[1][2]
The pogrom started as a right-wing demonstration against the tsar's Manifesto, which turned into an attack on the Jewish quarter.[3] The pogrom was resisted by Jewish self-defense groups, with partial success. Instrumental in organizing the self-defense was the Kishinev branch ofTze'irei Zion, who issued a circular calling Jewish youth to organize the resistance to violence.[4] Between 1902 and 1905 the number of Jews in Kishinev decreased from about 60,000 to 53,000 (about 12%) due to emigration.[2]