The Cantonists Jewish boys in the Russian military, 1827-1856

Till 1917, the Russian tsar enjoyed unlimited power over an immense area. More than 5 million Jews lived isolated and segregated lives within the Russian Empire. The Tsar wanted to eliminate the Jews as a people by forcing them to convert to Christianity and enter into mixed marriages. One of the means to implement his plan was to draft Jewish children under the age of 13 into military service, cruelly tearing them away from their families. About 75,000 children were recruited over 30 years. Despite being treated very harshly in the army, only 25% of the children agreed to convert to Christianity.