Metadata: Moscow Control and Optation Commission
Collection
- Country:
- Estonia
- Holding institution:
- National Archives of Estonia
- Holding institution (official language):
- Eesti Rahvusarhiiv
- Postal address:
- Madara 24, 10613 Tallinn
- Phone number:
- (+372) 693 8668
- Web address:
- www.ra.ee
- Email:
- tallinn@ra.ee
- Reference number:
- ERA.36
- Title:
- Moscow Control and Optation Commission
- Title (official language):
- Moskva Kontroll-Opteerimise Komisjon
- Creator/accumulator:
- Moscow Control and Optation Commission
- Date(s):
- 1920/1923
- Language:
- Russian
- Estonian
- Extent:
- 22,762 archival units, incl. 91 Jewish-related files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of two inventories. The first inventory includes lists of people approved for Estonian citizenship and an alphabetical register of applicants (3 files). The second inventory contains personal files of Jews wishing to enter the Republic of Estonia under the Act of Optation during the period 1920-1923. These files include application for Estonian citizenship, filled forms of the applicants indicating their address of residence in the Western part of the RSFSR, Crimea and Ukraine, date and place of birth, education and occupation details, information on relatives, acquaintances and property in Russia and Estonia, as well as plans for life in Estonia. Furthermore, the files include documents required for obtaining visas and certificates of Estonian citizenship, such as copies of birth certificates and letters of recommendation. For each applicant, the files contain answers to requests from the Control and Optation Commission regarding the possibility of a residence permit granted by the city administration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, etc. Nationality and ethnicity often served as a reason for denial of an application, even if the applicant was born in Estonia.
Among Jews applying for Estonian citizenship, only 19 people (16.7%) received permission, despite being born in Estonia, residing there and obtaining positive recommendations from acquaintances. The main reasons for rejection were nationality, parents who were born in Latvia, Lithuania or Poland, the lack of knowledge of the Estonian language and the local government or Estonia's Ministry of Internal Affairs finding them to be undesirable for some reason.
- Archival history:
- The collection was deposited in the State Archive of Estonia in 1926 as part of the archive of the Moscow Control and Optation Commission. The inventories were added into the archival electronic search system AIS in 2000.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Moscow Control and Optation Commission was established as a department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia on the basis of Article 4 of the Tartu Peace Treaty between the Republic of Estonia and the RSFSR of 2 February 1920 on the migration of Estonian citizens from Russia. The Moscow branch of the Commission was headed by J Kartau. It had an office and 4 departments, including granting of citizenship, settlement, evacuation and passport. The Commission served the central region of the RSFSR, the Stavropol territory, Transcaucasia, Turkestan, Siberia, Ukraine, Odessa and Crimea. In its first year, 9584 applications were accepted and 1340 military refugees were granted entry permits.
- Access points: locations:
- Estonia
- Subject terms:
- Citizenship
- Migration
- Passports and visas
- Residency issues of Jews
- Vital records
- Finding aids:
- The materials are available online.
- Links to finding aids:
- http://ais.ra.ee/
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Aviva Katourkina, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People