The Udmurt and Tatar Jews are a special ethnocultural group of Ashkenazi Jews, which originally formed in the areas of the mixed Turkic-speaking (Volga Tatars, Kryashens, Bashkirs, Anatris), Finno-Ugric-speaking (Udmurts, Eastern Maris), and Slavic-speaking (Russians) population. From 1807, Jewish people also began to reside in the industrial and administrative centers of Sarapulsky Uezd (predominantly in Izhevsk, Votkinsk, Sarapul).[1] Until this time the Jews in this region lived only in Kazan (from the 18th century).[2] The occurrence of Jewish communities in the region was made possible only after the decree of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia on August 26, 1827 on the introduction of conscription for the Jews (see Cantonists).[3][4]
The Ashkenazi Jews first appeared on the territory of the Udmurt Republic in the 1830s.[5][6][7][8] They began to live on the territory of Tatarstan in the same period of time.[4]