Herzl Yankl Tsam

Russian canonist
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroRussian canonist
PlacesRussia
wasMilitary officer Soldier Officer
Work fieldMilitary
Gender
Male
Birth6 February 1842, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire
Death1915Tomsk, Russia (aged 72 years)
Star signAquarius
Awards
Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd class 
The details

Biography

Herzel Yankel Tsam in the uniform of a capitan of the RIA

Herzel Yankel Tsam (Russian: Герцель Янкелевич Цам; 1835–1915) was a Jewish cantonist in the Russian Empire, one of only nine Jewish officers in the Tsarist army in the 19th century who didn't convert to Christianity.

Drafted as a 17-year-old Cantonist, Tsam served in Tomsk, Siberia. Tsam became an officer in 1873 (his fellow officers attested to his qualities in the promotion petitions) and, after forty-one years of service, he was retired with a rank and pension of captain. The promotion was granted on the day of his retirement, so he would have the pension, but wouldn't be able to serve as a colonel. An able commander and administrator, he turned one of the worst companies of his regiment into one of the best. In spite of pressures, he never converted to the state religion of Russian Orthodox Christianity.

After retirement, Tsam took an active part in the Jewish community of Tomsk.

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 31 Mar 2020. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.