The Jew who brought the Russian Empire to its knees - twice.

[wm]

Jewish agricultural colonies in the Russian Empire were first established in Kherson Governorate in 1806.
The Ukase of December 9, 1804 allowed Jews for the first time in Russia to purchase land for farming settlements.
Jews were provided with various incentives: tax abatements, reduced land prices, and exemption from military service.
...
By 1900 there were about 100,000 Jewish colonists throughout Russia.