Until Catherine II there were no significant numbers of Jews in Russia, but due to the three partitions of Poland that took place during her reign (1772, 1793 and 1795), the largest Jewish community of Europe suddenly appeared inside Russia. The attitude of Catherine II herself towards Jews differed greatly from the open bigotry of the previous Empresses, and perhaps coincidentally, the very first issue Catherine faced after her crowning was the question of Jewish rights in Russia.
The cautious Catherine rejected both the liberal proposal prepared by the Senate and the reactionary decrees of her predecessors. In order to avoid making a hasty decision on this delicate issue, the Empress cited the lack of time to research it thoroughly.
Later, in her decree of August 11, 1772 devoted to the first partition of Poland, Catherine announced that it would be unfair to exclude Jews from the benevolence of her rule. Jews were promised the same rights as other subjects of Russia. Nevertheless, they were not equal to other citizens of the Russian Empire receiving only the right to practice their religion and to own assets.
During the first period after annexation of Polish territory, the Jewish communities used the kagal system of organization, as had existed in Poland. Later, Jews started joining various estates of the Russian society and the kagal system lost its importance.
It was under the rule of Catherine the Great that the infamous Pale