på 19th century, the most widespread and intense forms of anti-Semitism were found in Russia. In the wake of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, a series of anti-Jewish pogroms (race riots) broke out in parts of the country. These reports from May 1881 were compiled by the news agency Reuters:

“Følgende detaljer er telegrafert av Odessa-korrespondenten i Times: Siden mitt telegram til deg i går om at anti-jødiske opptøyer hadde brutt ut i Elizabethgrad, en by med rundt 40,000 innbyggere, som ligger i regjeringen i Kherson, følgende detaljer er publisert her etter myndighet av prins Dondonkoff Kornakoff, provinsguvernøren i Odessa.

Forstyrrelsen begynte klokken 4 forrige onsdag, og innholdet i flere jødebutikker ble stjålet skadet eller ødelagt. Politiet ringte inn troppene, som gjorde alt for å stoppe plyndringen. Dette ble imidlertid først utført påfølgende kveld og med store vanskeligheter på grunn av antall bønder som hadde strømmet inn til byen fra de omkringliggende landsbyene for å delta i den generelle plyndringen.

During the night of the 28th, there arrived at Elizabethgrad three squadrons of Uhlans and yesterday a battalion of infantry. One Jew was killed, but the number of wounded is not great. In a later telegram, the correspondent states that at Elizabethgrad things have remained quiet ever since the anti-Jewish riots. These were quelled last Thursday evening. It appears that 400 persons were arrested.

The rioting arose out of a dispute between some Christians and Jews. The quarrel led to a general fight, which… assumed a more serious nature upon revolver shots being fired from some Jewish houses. The Christians then attacked the houses and shops of the Jews indiscriminately by smashing doors, breaking windows, etc. up until a late hour on Wednesday night. The violence was continued throughout Thursday but in a different form. The Jews, finding themselves vanquished, offered no further resistance and all fighting ceased; but the rioters, aided by an influx of peasants from the surrounding villages to join in the general melee, sacked the houses of the Jews, destroyed their furniture, and stole or spoiled their wares. The military and police are represented as having done what they could to establish order but failed to do so at once because while they were attempting that in one place, the disorder was breaking out in another. The Jewish population of Elizabethgrad is reckoned at about 10,000 persons and more than half their houses are completely ruined…

The fighting was only stopped by the submission of the Jews, who found themselves utterly beaten, but their acknowledgement of defeat did not save their property. A general attack in which the original rioters were aided by peasants from the neighbouring villages eventuated in the sacking of the houses of the Jews, the breaking up of their furniture and the destruction of their goods. At first, the efforts of the military and police to restore failed of success, though ultimately the riots were suppressed. The town of Elizavetgrad has a population of some 40,000 of whom the Jews comprise about one fourth and it is said that more than half the houses of those 10,000 Jews are completely ruined.

Ødeleggelsen av eiendom ble heldigvis ikke ledsaget av et like livstap, bare en jøde ble drept, mens ikke veldig mange er såret. Vrede som følelsen av hat mot jødene blåste frem blant byboerne som er kristne og deres allierte fra landet, er imidlertid en åpenbaring om den bitre følelsen som lå skjult. Judenhetze [Jødebete] ser ut til å være i luften i Russland som i Tyskland. ”