History of the Jews in Russia abandoning of Jewish dietary laws. Polish Catholic boys were subject to similar pressure to convert and assimilate as the Russian Empire was hostile to Catholicism and Polish nationalism. The cultural and habitual isolation of the Jews gradually began to be eroded. An ever-increasing number of Jewish people adopted Russian language and customs. Russian education was spread among the Jewish population. A number of Jewish-Russian periodicals appeared. Alexander II was known as the "Tsar liberator" for the 1861 abolition of serfdom in Russia. Under his rule Jewish people could not hire Christian servants, could not own land, and were restricted in
Administrative divisions of Russia in 1719–1725 Administrative divisions of Russia in 1719–1725 The second administrative reform of 1719 was carried out by Peter the Great in order to fix the deficiencies of the original system. On June 9 (May 29 in the Julian calendar), 1719 Peter issued an ukase (edict) that abolished the division of the governorates into "lots" (). Instead, most of the Governorates were divided into "provinces" (провинции), and provinces were further subdivided into "districts" (дистрикты). Provinces were governed by "voyevodas". The idea of the subdivision of governorates into province was borrowed from the administrative division system of Sweden and other European countries. Districts