April 9, 1976 7 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Liquidation of Jewish Censors in At Moscow present, none of the By BORIS SMOLAR (Editor-in-chief emeritus, JTA) (Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.) PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL „ When the train crossed FREE Consultation Licensed Electrologist the Iranian border into So- censors in the Soviet For- private and confidential by appointment eign Ministry is a Jew. viet Russia, and stopped at one of the larger railway 358:5493 Cursed is he of whom all e_ stations, a Soviet civilian official entered the car men speak well. where Podolsky sat and in- formed him that there was an especially urgent mes- sage for him from Moscow. He told him that the station master had been instructed to deliver it to him in person and to wait for an imme- diate reply for transmission • WHY WAIT FOR YOURS • THE PRICE IS ALWAYS RIGHT by telegraph to Moscow. .• DEAL WITH THE MAN WHO CAN DELIVER tin g of an foul U nsuspec play, Podolsky left his trav- eling bags on the train and SOUVENIER BICENTENNIAL ELEPHANT went down to the station master's office to pick up WITH EVERY NEW OR USED CAR PURCHASE the message. He never boarded that train again. It left for Moscow without him. He vanished in that railway station and was never 28585 Telegraph Road heard from again. Later it Southfield, Michigan 48075 became known that he had (Telephone (313) 353-1300 been among those who perished in the great liqui- dation which Stalin had carried out (Editor's note: This is one of the chapters of the forthcoming book by Boris Smolar, "In the Service of My People," to be pub- lished soon). The chief censor in Mos- cow in the 1930's, one of three servicing foreign cor- respondents, was a Jew. He was thoroughly assimilated. In the Czarist days, he had studied philosophy in Switz- BORIS SMOLAR erland, having fled Russia because of his revolutionary news he would become ir- ritated against the Jewish 'activities. After the Soviet Revolu- Communist publications tion he returned to Russia, reporting it. He neverthe- considering himself one of less passed the cables. He the Bolsheviks who was liv- really had no choice, be- ing in exile. Since he spoke cause he understood that English, French and Ger- two days later the "Ernes" man very fluently, he imme- and other Jewish-Soviet diately found service in the newspapers would arrive Foreign Commissariate. abroad thence the news Because of his great erudi- would be transmitted to tion, he was appointed chief America anyway. It finally reached a point censor. His name was Yakov Po- some months, after my ar- dolsky, a genuinely Jewish rival in Moscow that Podol- name, which he had not sky concluded that the changed, although he was "Ernes" and the other Jew- far removed from Jewish ish Communist newspapers interests. He was a very cul- in Kharkov and Minsk were tured person; he never dis- more detrimental than use- played the arrogance one ful to Soviet interests be- often found among censors. cause they could not com- Here and there he would ex- prehend that they were punge a word or a phrase in providing anti-Soviet mate- my cables. I had never en- rial to the outside world. What had most unnerved countered serious difficul- ties with him, although he him was the fact that the stood eminently vigilant in people in the Yevsekzia, his solicitude of Communist Jewish section of the Com- munist Party, began to ac- interests. From the first day I ar- cuse him before "higher in- rived in Moscow, I reached ner circles" of passing anti- a sort of understanding Soviet news for me. These people conveniently failed to with him. "My duty," I stated, "is to mention that those news send news. Yours is to en- items originated in their sure that these news items own publications. Eventually Podolsky was are based on fact and that they do not promulgate an- appointed Soviet Ambassa- ti-Soviet propaganda. Now, dor to Vienna. That was a what could be more valid very important post because than facts reported in the Vienna, at that time, was Jewish Communist press, or the diplomatic center of those reported in the gen- Central Europe and all the eral Soviet News publica- Balkan countries. After a tions regarding matters per- period of service in Vienna, taining to Jews? If you he was designated Soviet didn't pass them their con- Ambassador to Iran, which tents would, in any case be was a still more important read by Jews all over the post, because of the corn- world, because your news- mon border shared by So- papers reach neighboring viet Russia and Iran; and, non-Communist countries also because Iran was the from where cables can be center from which the So- transmitted freely to Amer- viets were contending with ica." England for diplomatic in- He acknowledged the fluence in the Moslem coun- force of my argument and tries of the Middle East. I left Moscow for Amer- we arrived at an agreement that he would pass all news, ica before Podolsky's ap- even if it were detrimental pointment as Ambassador to Soviet interests, provided to Vienna, and _then I I showed him the Soviet heard nothing more about newspapers which were the him. When I visited Mos- sources of that news, includ- cow again after the war ing Soviet-Jewish newspa- years, I met a number of well-known Soviet writers pers. Jewish Communist pap- who had survived Stalin's ers did not let a day go by insane years of mass liqui- without reporting that some dation. I naturally in- synagogue here or there had quired after people whom I been converted into a club, had known years before, or that in such and such a among them Podolsky. town some Jews were ar- In 1938, when Stalin be- rested because they had se- gan to eliminate Jews from cretly celebrated a circumci- important positions, espe- sion (which had been cially in diplomatic posts, prohibited in Soviet Russia); Podolsky, who was then in or that in some town an ille- Teheran, the capital of Iran, gal Hebrew school had been received an urgent call to re- turn to Moscow. Without discovered. Every time I appeared wasting any time, the very before Podolsky with a next day, Podolsky boarded cable containing such a train to Moscow. TAMAROFF "MICHIGAN'S LARGEST BUICK-OPEL-HONDA DEALER" FRE E TarflaRCIFF BUICK- OPEL, ‘AW's inc. ••• • ake • - ""°,17 •1t- • . Alit. . •■ ••• ■ •••• ., • • ... • •:••:•••'..•••• • ' • Its easier to remember where we don't go. Our apologies to the Antarctica Tourist Board. For despite the tact we have the world's largest fleet Of 7-17s. And despite the tact we have 28.000 people who'\'e made profession out of taking Americans to foreign lands. And despite the tact we have a cities route structure that takes in in 61 countries. Theres still one continent we don't fly to. 01. course. tastes may change radically. In whk - h case. we'll on Antarctica to air travel. Even as we opened every other corn Mem. And take the apology hack and start taking tourists. 131W America's airline to the world. See vbur travel agent. r.