The Captives

Abstract

This chapter details the journey of the Jewish captives from Ukraine to the Tatar homeland of Crimea. By the time of the uprising, Jews in Ukraine were well aware of the dangers of the Black Sea slave trade. It is impossible even to estimate how many Jews were captured during the period from 1648 to 1667. Not all those taken by the Tatars actually made it to the slave market, killed either by their captors or by the traveling conditions. The chapter then looks at the experiences of the Jewish captives. For most Jews, being taken captive meant that they had lost everything. The realities of captivity were harsh: they were tied together with ropes or straps made out of animal hides, and many had little more than the clothes they stood up in. Ahead of them lay a long, difficult, and even dangerous journey during which they were at the mercy of their captors, who would not hesitate to kill them if they could no longer fetch a good price on the market. Even though they knew about the possibility of being ransomed at the end of their ordeal, it must have seemed a very distant hope.