On this day: Russian Tsarist forces start Bialystok Pogrom, killing at least 70 Jews

On June 14, 1906, the city of Bialystok, then a western Russian Empire city with a majority Jewish population, became the site of a brutal pogrom that claimed the lives of at least 70 Jews and injured 90 more over three days. This event marked the bloodiest anti-Jewish incident in Russia that year, though the exact victim count remains unknown due to victims being taken to various locations for treatment.

Bialystok was a significant center for the textile industry, with many fabric mills owned by and employing Jewish workers. The community was also a stronghold for the Jewish Labor Bund, a Yiddishist socialist organization, alongside Jewish anarchist movements and the Polish socialist party. The pogrom was ignited after the city's police chief, Derkatcheff, who was viewed as favorable to the Jewish population, was killed. His rival, Police Commissioner Sheremetev, who harbored antisemitic views, blamed Jewish anarchist groups for the murder.

Sheremetev and other local officials propagated rumors and distributed leaflets falsely accusing Jews of planning to bomb Catholic and Orthodox churches. Despite pleas from Jewish leaders to the governor in Grodno, who promised no pogrom would occur in June, the situation escalated. On June 14, during a Catholic procession on Pentecost, a bomb exploded, killing one participant. Simultaneously, shots were fired during an Orthodox Christian procession. Russian authorities then falsely claimed Jews were responsible for both attacks, calling for retaliation.

Russian troops and police subsequently attacked Jewish homes and businesses for three days. The pogrom was ordered to stop by Russia's minister for internal affairs on the third day. Historians interpret the pogrom as a response by local authorities and government employees to the anti-tsarist labor movement, which had been active in Bialystok following the 1905 Russian Revolution. The State Duma later held these individuals accountable for the incident, which significantly impacted Bialystok's industry and trade.