Count Sergey Uvarov and the “Jewish question” in the education policy of the Southwestern region

This article examines the issues of ministerial policy regarding the “Jewish question” in the Kiev, Podolsk, and Volyn Provinces, based on materials from the Department of Public Education, the Jewish Committee, and the personal archives of Count Sergey Uvarov. It examines the plans for transforming Jewish schools and their implementation, from Uvarov's initial development of the reform of Jewish schools in 1835 to Nicholas I's approval of the regulation “On Jewish State Schools” in 1844. The article shows how Uvarov's project evolved within the framework of activities of the Jewish Committee led by Pavel Kiselyov, and how Jewish educators influenced the concept of the Minister of Public Education. The author evaluates Uvarov's policy on the “Jewish question” within the context of the soft power doctrine, and considers his school projects as a full-fledged reform with serious prerequisites that underwent significant changes while being discussed by the Jewish Committee.