Handicrafts:

By: Joseph Jacobs

Since the article Artisans was written, the preliminary results of an inquiry made during the years 1898-99 by the Jewish Colonization Association as to the occupations of the Jews of Russia have been published, giving the classes ofhandicrafts in which over half a million Russian Jews are engaged, as follows:

Industries.		Employers.	Employers and Employees.
Food		43,665	57,887
Clothing		84,915	193,954
Leather		40,522	85,306
Wood		25,653	49,588
Metal-mining		13,296	28,393
Metal-manufacturing		12,203	20,528
Chemicals		2,764	3,617
Building		19,791	31,590
Textiles		10,589	18,428
Miscellaneous		5,998	11,695
	Totals	259,396	500,986

Besides this some details have been given as to the occupations of Jewesses. It is impossible to state whether they are included in the above numbers or not.

Occupations.		Employers.	Employers and Employees.
Tailoresses		9,191	33,419
Seamstresses		7,161	17,331
Hose-knitters		3,626	5,739
Modistes		1,686	4,062
Cigarette-makers		991	1,732
Glove-makers		182	481
Others		...	13,803
	Totals	22,837	76,567

For further details see Poland ; Russia .

Bibliography:

Nossig, Jüdische Statistik, pp. 178-179;
Die Welt, Aug. 29, 1902.

J.