The Vilnius Jewish Community in the General Population Census (End of the 18th Century and Beginning of the 19th Century)
The Vilnius Jewish Community in the General Population Census (End of the 18th Century and Beginning of the 19th Century)

Summary/Abstract: The research aims to present the topographic and demographic aspects of Vilna Jewish community and their social status, occupations and migration tendencies after the third partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The presentation is based on the records of the general census of 1795 as well as an additional census of 1800 and lists of previously missed Jews of 1801. These sources were not discussed in historiography before. The preliminary research showed that in the end of the 18th century, the Jewish community was located in all city, Antokol (Antakalnis), Śnipiszki (Snipiskes) suburbs, Sapieha‘s jurisdiction and communities that belonged to Vilna kehillah. It is hard to reconstruct the demographic status of the community, because usually children under 6 years were not indicated in the census. The census enumerators also used such categories as “healthy, old, and lame“ instead of age. The social picture of the community is very diverse; there are groups that show deep differentiation inside the community. Additional censuses show intensive Jewish migration from Germany, Belarusian and Lithuanian towns to Vilnius.

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