Petitioning Catherine the Great forcibly converted many of the survivors to Ortho- dox Christianity. Not until the reign of Catherine did the tsars allow new mosques to be built again in Kazan. The second petition to Catherine was submit- ted by a group of Jewish leaders in Belarus. The majority of the population of Belarus (meaning "white Russia") consisted of Slavic speakers closely related to Russians in language and culture. Belarus was ruled from Poland/Lithuania until the eigh- teenth century, after which it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. The Jews of this region were known as Ashkenazim. Their liturgical language was a form of Hebrew, but their everyday language was Yiddish, a dialect of German infused with Hebrew vocabulary that was unintelligible to Russian speak- ers. To the greatest extent possible, the Ashkenazim took care of their own community affairs. ne of Catherine the Great's innovations was to invite petitions from her subjects. U Often people felt that oppression resulted from the misuse of power by local and provincial officials: if only the tsarina herself knew of these abuses, they thought, surely she would correct them. Catherine the Great encouraged this atti- tude and invited her subjects (other than the serfs, who had no right to address her) to submit their petitions to her. Such a flood of petitions flowed to St. Petersburg, however, that it is unlikely that she even saw most of them, and once the French Rev- olution showed the dangers of stirring up public opinion (see Chapter 22), the freedom to petition the tsarina was revoked. The first of the two petitions below was sub- mitted by a group of Tartar nobles, that is, Muslim, Turkish-speaking elite of an area incorpo- rated into the Russian Empire. The Kazan Tartars had ruled the Volga River region in the fourteenth century, but in the fifteenth century this region was conquered by theRussian tsar Ivan the Terrible. Ivan slaughtered much of the Muslim population and the Source: David G. Rowley, Exploring Russia's Past: Narratives, Sources, Images, vol. I, To 1850 (New York: Pearson, 2006), PP. 208-209. Petition from Tartar Nobles In Kazan Province, 1767 12. We the under-signed beleve that noth- ing is more offensive to a person, regard- less of his falth and rank, than to suffer disrespect and insults toward his religion. This makes one extremely agitated and provokes unnecessary words of abuse. But it often happens that people of varlous ranks say extremely contemptuous things about our religion and our Prophet... and this is a great affront for us. Therefore we request a law that anyone who curses our religion be held legally accountable. ... [We further ask that] we Tartars and 15. If any of our people are voluntarily bap- tized into the falth of the Greek confes- sion [Le., Into the Orthodox Church] they should be ordered to move to settle- ments with Russians the very same year in which the conversion takes place.... We ask that, under no circumstances, are converts to be permitted to sell their houses, garden plots, and pastures to Rus- sians or people of other ranks, but are to sell only to us Tartars; they must sell either to unconverted kinsmen or other Tartars. ... Also, without a special per- sonal order from Her Imperlal Majesty, nobles not be forced to convert to Ortho- doxy, but that only those who so wish... be baptized.... no churches should be bult in our locali- ties and thereby put pressure upon us.... Petition from Belarusslan Jews, 1784 1. Some [Belarussian Jews] who live in towns engage in trade and, especially, in the distillation of spirits, beer and mead [honey beer], which they sell whole- sale and retal. This privilege was ex- tended to them when Belarus joined the Russian Empire. Hence everyone active in this business used all their resources to construct buildings suitable for distil- lation. ... After the Belarussian region do this. As a result [these] poor Jews [have been left] completely impoverished. ... They therefore request an imperial decree authorizing the squire, if he wishes, to farm out distillation to Jews in rural areas. 3.... Jews have no one to defend them in courts and find themselves in a desperate situation-given their fear, and ignorance of Russlan-in case of misfortune, even if innocent. ... To consummate all the good already bestowed, Jews dare to petl- tlon that ... in matters involving Jews and non-Jews ...a representative from the Jewish community ... be present to accompany Jews in court and attend the interrogation of Jews. But cases involving only Jews... should be handled solely in Jewish courts, because Jews assume ob- ligations among themselves, make agree- ments and conclude all kinds of deals in the Jewish language and in accor dance with Jewish rites and law (which are not known to others). Moreover, those who transgress their laws and order should be judged in Jewish courts. Similarly, pre- serve intact all their customs and holidays in the spirit of their faith, as is mercifully assured in the imperial manifesto.... joined the Russian Empire, the Jews in some towns constructed more of these in the same fashion and at great expense. The imperlal monarchical decree [on Jews] emboldens them to request tear- fully some monarchical mercy. 2. According to an anclent custom, when the squires built a new village, they sum- moned the Jews to reside there and gave them certain prtvileges for several years and the permanent liberty to distil spir- Its, brew beer and mead, and sell these drinks. On this basis the Jews built houses and distillation plants at considerable expense.... But a decree of the governor- general of Belarus has now forbidden the squires to farm our distillation in their vil- lages to Jews, even if the squires want to