Abstract

The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC) was an official Soviet Jewish association organized during World War II. The main objective of the JAC was to reveal the horrors of the Holocaust, oppose Nazi activities, and serve as a tool in the dissemination of Soviet political propaganda. Following the death of Leon Trotsky and the outbreak of World War II, Joseph Stalin rose in power. After the war's end, two factors shaped the exercise of this leader's authority. First, the United States emerged as a powerful state. And second, the nation of Israel, now established, oriented itself toward the West. These factors precipitate the Cold War and, in this charged atmosphere, Stalin launched a purge of political dissidents within the Soviet Union. Among those prosecuted were the members of the JAC-taken as a symbol of the consolidation of Stalin's power. Previous studies of the JAC's relationship to Stalin focus on external factors, such as the JAC's overseas work and Stalin's personality. In contrast, this article argues that such consideration does not adequately explain why the JAC was purged. A full discussion must also include examination of the organizational operations and internal factors of the JAC members. This approach helps us better appreciate the diverging views of the early JAC, as well as the different nationalist ideas of Solomon Lozovsky and Ilya Ehrenburg, articulated in the course of Black Book publishing. As indicated by personal letters and court records, Stalin perceived the JAC as a seditious nationalist Jewish organization and moved to execute its members.

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