Jewish students of the Kyiv commercial institute: everyday life under imperial pressure before and during World War I

The purpose of the study is to examine the everyday life of Jewish students at the Kyiv Commercial Institute in the early 20th century, using the experiences of selected active individuals of this nationality to illustrate the anti-Semitic policies of the Russian Empire. The research methodology is based on both general and specialized scientific methods, including deduction, induction, structural-systemic, comparative-historical, and problem-chronological approaches, as well as an interdisciplinary perspective. The scientific novelty lies in introducing archival sources into scholarly circulation, which contribute to a more detailed understanding of the everyday history of students in Kyiv on the eve of and during the First World War. Conclusions. The study confirms the discriminatory policies of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century toward the Jewish community, particularly in terms of restricting access to higher and even secondary education. It also highlights the broader pressure exerted on Jews, which compelled some individuals to alter their personal information to avoid discrimination and attacks. In addition, valuable information was obtained regarding various aspects of the everyday life of Jewish students in Kyiv on the eve of and during the First World War. In particular, the predominance of impoverished individuals among them is confirmed – an attribute that generally characterized the student population of the empire and served as one of the factors in its politicization. Since the imperial authorities not only failed to improve the condition of students and the oppressed nations as a whole but were also the root cause of their impoverishment, this inevitably led to the intensification of anti-imperial sentiments among them, which ultimately contributed to the collapse of the Russian Empire during the First World War. Furthermore, a number of details were uncovered concerning attitudes toward the war and the living conditions during those years of military hardship. Thus, this micro-historical research contributes to bringing "flesh and blood" to broader macro-historical studies.