Magnates and Jewish Assemblies. The Role of the Magnates in Shaping the Local Government of Jews in the Crown Lands

The article is devoted to the issue of the impact of the so-called noble lords' protection for the local Jewish self-government. Especially from the mid-17th century, due to the unfavorable effects of the Khmelnytsky Uprising and subsequent wars, the existing local government structures were unable to cope with their main obligation to the state, i.e. the collection of the Jewish poll tax, as well as with the growing problem of debts. One of the main reasons was considered by Jewish elders to be the disobedience of Jews living in smaller communities protected by their noble lords, primarily magnates. Gradually, the elders from the previous main communities located in large royal cities lost power in the provinces (lands) to centers under magnate control. There were also decentralization processes supported by magnate landowners, as a result of which the former large provinces were divided into smaller lands and districts. The disobedience of the Jews, protected by the noble owners, meant that tax collection had to be handled by military deputies instead of Jewish collectors. However, the changes introduced by the Silent Sejm in 1717, which placed the institutions of self-government under greater control by treasurers and fiscal tribunals, did not solve the problem of noble lords' protection. The one created then, which survived without any major changes until 1764, was, on the one hand, inefficient, and on the other hand, it was the source of constant complaints from virtually all sides: Jews, nobility, army.