"Kishineff" Petition, 1903
Wood case with bound manuscript petition
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C. (146)

Description by the State Department:

The Kishinev Massacre

The Kishinev Massacre of 1903, in which forty-nine Jews were murdered and hundreds were wounded, aroused universal condemnation and protest. For the first time, Jews in the United States took the lead in organizing nationwide protests. In addition to hundreds of demonstrations and meetings held throughout the nation, a massive petition drive protesting the slaughter was organized. Since the Russian authorities refused to accept the petition, it was deposited instead in the State Department's vault in a special box constructed to house it. In his letter accepting the petition, Secretary of State John Hay wrote: "It is a valuable addition to the public literature and it will be sacredly cherished among the treasures of the Department."

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/haven-home.html

General Records of the Department of State

PETITION TO THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA BY U.S. CITIZENS. 1903. 8 cm, 3 in. 2 vols.

A petition presented to the Department of State by the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith concerning the massacre of Jews at Kischineff, Bessarabia, in 1903. After each signer's name is his occupation and place of residence. Filed with the petition is a Brief History of the Kischineff Petition prepared and published by B'nai B'rith.

https://www.archives.gov/research/state-dept/finding-aids/inventory15-part1.pdf

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