A Note on Anti-Semitism in Soviet Russia (Post-Stalin Period)

Abstract

MR. STEPHEN P. DUNN'S reflections on Soviet policy toward Jews and anti-Semitism (Slavic Review, December 1965, pages 703-5) call some comment. He is apparently dissatisfied with statements made by some Jewish authors who, belonging to a minority group, are at times oversensitive to anti-Jewish incidents (just as Negroes are at times oversensitive about anti-Negro incidents). He may also be reflecting his disapproval of the recent struggle by politicians and political-action organizations in this country against Soviet anti-Semitism. But this does not mean that one can simply argue the reverse and say, There is no such thing, unless one can prove it. The fact that certain measures in connection with Jews were (according to Mr. Dunn) adopted for historical, cultural, and political reasons cannot be regarded as a justification when they were harmful the group. Similarly, such actions as the destruction of the Uniate and Roman Catholic churches in the Western Ukraine after World War II, also taken for historical, cultural, and political reasons (the presumed need to eliminate nationalistic or counterrevolutionary elements) does not justify their adoption. Nor can the many attempts (before and after World War II) to denationalize the nationality cultures and weed out the nationalist heresy (and heretics) from the cultural institutions and apparatus in the republics be justified because of the contradictions embodied in the Soviet nationality policy. It seems that no. rational discussion on anti-Semitism in Soviet Russia can be conducted without first properly defining the expression. The concept anti-Semitism, coined less than a century ago in Germany, has become so ambiguous and overlaid with so many emotional and political colorations that one should clarify what one understands by it. The situation in Soviet Russia of the post-Stalin era differs in certain respects from what one is accustomed to associate with anti-Semitism. Lack of authoritative information affords the possibility of arguing both ways: there is or there is not legal and social discrimination-one of the attributes of anti-Semitism. Some individuals in Soviet Russia maintain that they suffer from anti-Semitism. But the official statistics (for 1961) seem to indicate that the ratio of those occupied in the professions (specialists) is three to four times higher among Jews than among other groups (Jews i8o per iooo population; Great Russians 50 per iooo; Ukrainians 51 per iooo).' Two or three years ago this writer tried playing a names game. From issues of Soviet research periodicals taken at random from the library (history, humanities, social sciences) he picked out the characteristically Russian-Jewish names. In most