Two tragic days in Kishinev, Sunday 6 and Monday 7 April 1903, influenced not only the fate of the Jews living in this remote Moldavian town, but the political situation in the entire Russian Empire. The death of fifty-one city-dwellers (almost all Jews), the wounding of about 500 others, and the destruction or damaging of a significant number of buildings, depriving thousands of Jewish shopkeepers and artisans of property, were sufficiently tragic. Even more important were the psychological consequences, which affected not only the residents of Kishinev. At the time, the Russian authorities presented themselves as at the very least in capable of assuring the safety of the population. Popular opinion was much more severe. The people believed that the authorities (and maybe even the government) were directly involved and responsible for the tragic anti-Jewish riot. The local tragedy therefore appeared as a major political event.

The author of this book tried to gather all possible evidence concerning the pogrom of 1903. The bibliography includes numerous newspapers, contemporary reports, memoirs, and other prints. There are relatively few archival sources (unfortunately they are not distinguished in the list from other types of source). Maybe future historians will be able to add some more materials from the Russian archives. There is, however, little likelihood that these will change the basic picture that Judge presents in this book.

The structure of the book is simple and logical. The seven chapters are: (1) The Jewish Question in Russia, (2) Kishinev, (3) Agitation and Provocation, (4) Pogrom, (5) Repercussion and Reverberations, (6) The Question of Guilt, and (7) The Causes and Legacy of the Easter Riots. The author analyses the general conditions and atmosphere of Jewish life in Russia, the specific situation of Kishinev with its relatively numerous and growing Jewish population, the events before the pogrom, the story of the two eventful days, and the consequences.

The logical analysis of events and the critical appreciation of the many (often contradictory) sources reflect the conflicts between social classes and religious groups. The local politicians were nonentities (sometimes with good intentions), ambitious men who were trying to exploit events for private aims, or fanatic antisemites using even transparent lies in their propaganda. The authorities did nothing to prevent the tragedy, in spite of warnings