ByCORINNE BAUM

JUNE 14, 2026 13:21

On June 14, 1906, a minimum of 70 Jews in Russia lost their lives while another 90 suffered injuries during the Bialystok Pogrom that lasted three days.

Bialystok stood as a western city inside the Russian Empire in what is now Poland and counted a Jewish majority among its residents.

Data from the 1910 census taken four years later showed roughly 68.5 percent of locals were Jewish according to records from the Jewish Virtual Library.

The event ranked as the deadliest attack on Russian Jews during that year. Because some victims were moved to nearby towns other hospitals or private residences the precise count of casualties remains uncertain.

The city gained fame for its textile sector with many fabric mills owned and staffed by Jewish workers.

This environment allowed the Jewish Labor Bund a secular socialist Yiddishist group to build strong influence alongside anarchist Jewish factions and the Polish socialist party.

Reasons Behind the Bialystok Pogrom

Three days prior the local police chief Derkatcheff lost his life. He had been seen as favorable to the Jewish residents and once stated a pogrom would occur only over his dead body which proved nearly accurate.

His competitor Police Commissioner Sheremetev along with much of the force held strong antisemitic views.

Sheremetev accused Jewish anarchist circles of the killing after which officials circulated rumors and pamphlets alleging Jews planned to bomb Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Jewish representatives traveled over 100 km to the governor in Grodno seeking Sheremetev's dismissal. The governor declined yet assured them no pogrom would occur in June.

Events During the Bialystok Pogrom

On June 14 officials permitted a Catholic procession for Pentecost through the market square. A bomb exploded during it killing one participant.

At the same time an Orthodox Christian procession took place where gunfire erupted. Russian officials then asserted Jews had assaulted both groups and urged reprisals.

The pogrom followed with Russian soldiers and police raiding Jewish homes and shops for three days.

On the final day Russia's internal affairs minister directed tsarist troops to end the violence.

The incident followed the 1905 Russian Revolution when the city acted as a hub for anti-tsarist labor efforts and formed part of a second wave of pogroms leading toward World War II.

Historians see the pogrom as a reaction by local officials and state workers against the labor movement with some later facing accountability from Russia's state Duma.

Following the Duma probe Bialystok experienced a marked and lasting drop in its industry and trade.