Bidspirit auction | Cantonists - Jewish soldier in

Cantonists - Jewish soldier in a Polish uniform. Russian Empire, Poland. Original old real photo - The photo was taken in the city of Szczecin, Poland. 9x15 cm. good condition.  Burned into Russian Jewish memory was the policy of the Cantonists - military child re- cruits. From 1827-1856 government policy conscripted sons of Jewish soldiers and sub- jected them to training and conversion. During war-time, 'Khappers' (grabbers) would raid villages, kidnap Jewish boys and add them to the child-training population. At age 18, they were required to serve for 25 years. Besides the obvious dangers, there was a concerted effort to convert the boys to Christi- anity. It left a whole generation of children alienated from family and tradition. Pictured is one such conscript. Item from the collections of Jacob Yablok - VirtualJewishmuseum.com. The item is placed in a quality proactive nylon sleeve and can be easily and safely taken out from the display page. Displayed on a thin cardboard sheet with an explanation and photos on the background of Israel's flag.