Єврейська традиційна освіта, хедери і меламеди поза смугою осілості

Artem Kharchenko

doi:10.31861/hj2026.63.24-30

Authors

Artem Kharchenko Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3314-5084

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31861/hj2026.63.24-30

Keywords:

Jews, Education, Heder, Melamed, Russian Empire, Pale of the settlement, Kharkiv

Abstract

This article examines the issue of Jewish education in the Russian Empire during the long nineteenth century. An important aspect is the study of how such education functioned in cities beyond the Pale of Settlement. Education in the Heder was a formative experience for most Jewish intellectuals. Stereotypes and perceptions of Heders were shaped by these personal stories. Traditional Jewish education was not limited to Heders, but other levels were inaccessible to the minority. Unlike the neighbouring Austrian Empire, the Romanov state was for a long time unable to offer the Jewish population an alternative, primarily regarding elementary education. The situation began to change only in the second half of the nineteenth century, with the establishment of the education system. The early 1880s, a turning point in historiography, raises questions about the functioning of the educational system in cities beyond the Pale, particularly in the Kharkiv province. The problems of this period were also characteristic of previous decades. Jewish communities that needed to open Heders and invite Melameds faced bureaucratic delays, legal technicalities, and the reluctance of various government officials to take responsibility. Nevertheless, the demands of the Jewish population, whose numbers were constantly growing, often overcame these obstacles.

Author Biography

Artem Kharchenko, Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts

PhD, Associate Professor, Kharkiv I.P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, doctoral student,
Oles Honchar Dnipro National University

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