PURELY COMMENTARY
Stalin's Henchman
Continued from Page 2
reorientation" — if they surviv-
Is it possible that the Russian pro-
ed. Prisons became filled to
Arab, anti-Israel policies began with
capacity. In Lubyanka, each cell
Stalin? What's the background of the
contained one Russian and five
Stalin plan to deport all Jews to
Jews.
Siberia? What was his treatment of
The level of sadism ran deep
many individuals who were prominent
this time and touched every
in the USSR, especially Jewish women
aspect of society, even those
married to Russian leaders? Then there
who had previously received the
was the Stalin plot against doctors
state's blessing. S.M. Mikhoels
which was among his chief campaigns
was a truly gifted actor who had
against Jews. There is this collective ac-
been invited to give private per-
count in Kahan's book recalling Golda
formances of Shakespearean
Meir and some of her friends in Russia:
roles for Stalin. He had been a
Israel, for one, was quick to
favorite, and each time he per-
react. It denounced the entire af-
formed Stalin thanked him
fair as "typical Soviet anti-
publicly and praised his acting.
Semitism." Stalin was even
But in 1949 Mikhoels was shot to
quicker and more graphic. He
death in Minsk during a perfor-
had a bomb exploded in the
mance of King Lear. The order had
Soviet legation at Tel Aviv. It
been given by Lazar with Stalin's
proved fruitful for it gave
approval. After all, Mikhoels had
Moscow the opportunity to
been labeled as a spy for Anglo-
sever all diplomatic relations
American intelligence. This was his
with Israel. By carrying the anti-
only "escape."
Semitic campaign to its highest
Reference has already been made in
pitch, Stalin had shown, without
these columns to the Anti-Fascist Com-
the slightest doubt, that he now
mittee which had Detroit Jewry's sup-
had aligned himself with the
port in 1943. Then came the tragic
Arabs, something he had
years, the Stalin mass murders which
wanted from the very beginn-
caused the naming of 1948 to 1953 as
ing. It was a typical Stalin
"the Black Years in Russian Jewish
maneuver: Kill two birds with
history." The mass murder of Jewish in-
one stone.
tellectuals apparently was engineered
He was moving on many dif-
by Stalin himself and it was the only
ferent fronts now: Next would be
time Kaganovich became fearful:
the intelligentsia, considered a
Perhaps he himself will be next on
special target of attack. A few
Stalin's murder list. Kahan gives this
days after the affair of the men
account of the mass executions of emi-
in white, Esther Markish was
nent Jews:
deported to Central Asia
together with her two children.
Late on the night of August
The reason? "Member of a fami-
12, 1952, twenty-four of the
ly of traitors to the country."
leading cultural figures in the
At the Kremlin, talk centered
Soviet Union were rounded up
around the rules of behavior
by the MGB and shot to death in
and the restrictions that would
the basement of Lubyanka
be introduced with respect to
prison. That same night, 217
the Jews. These restrictions
Yiddish writers and poets, 108
went almost as far as the laws
actors, 87 painters and
that had applied to them under
sculptors, and 19 musicians
the Czars. The handwriting was
disappeared as well. Most were
on the wall. Everything in-
sent to the camps of the Gulag
dicated that Stalin was secretly
in Siberia as slave laborers. It
making preparations for a mass
was akin to death; many would
deportation of Jews to remote
not return.
districts of the USSR. And he
Among the twenty-four
meant all Jews.
murdered was Peter Markish,
Toward the end of 1952,
considered the best Yiddish
Stalin succeeded in deporting
poet of the time whose wife,
several hundred Jewish intellec-
Esther, a writer and translator
tuals, writers, actors, and others
of many French authors, was a
he termed "undesirables." He
personal friend of Maria's. Also
also 'banned the Jewish press
killed were the poet Itzhik Fef-
and closed the Jewish theaters
fer, a friend of Lazar's, and the
throughout Soviet Russia. Lazar
writer David Bergelson, who
knew that time was running out,
was a friend of Paulina
but when Paulina Semyonovna
Molotov's.
Zhumchuzhina, known as
Lazar was aghast. He had
Paulina Molotov, Vyacheslav's
not known anything about this:
wife, was facing imminent
neither had Molotov, nor, in fact
deportation, that was the final
had most of the inner circle.
catalyst.
Stalin had issued the orders on
Paulina was Jewish, and
his own. He had consulted with
during the 1930s she held
no one except Beria.
responsible positions in the
Lazar, however, found buried
Council of People's Commissars.
in the reports two little words: "i
In addition, she was deputy peo-
'and others: " Ob-
drugiye
ple's commissar for food produc-
viously, there was much more to
tion, people's commissar for
come, and he began to have an
fisheries, and head of the
uneasy feeling in the pit of his
Cosmetics Industry Board. Her
stomach. It was the first time
importance had grown, and at
that he felt genuine fear. It was
the Eighteenth Party Congress,
too close, much too close.
—
42
FRIDAY, OCT. 23, 1987
she was elected a candidate
member of the Central Commit-
tee. However, it was also
discovered that Golda Meir and
Paulina were fairly good
friends, and Paulina even had a
sister who had emigrated to
Palestine; she had correspond-
ed with her until 1939.
As a result of all this, Paulina
was arrested and accused of
"possible treason against the
Motherland;' through her links
with international Zionism. It
was treated as a house arrest,
and, therefore, no further
punishment was meted out
because of her husband's posi-
tion — at least, not until now
Kahan managed to meet with his
uncle Lazar in his dingy apartment and
for nine hours they chatted without in-
terruption. They conversed in Yiddish,
proving Kaganovich retained the
memories of his youth when Yiddish
was the family language. That's how
the entire story of Russian Jewish
miseries were exposed and Lazar
emerged as the guide to Stalin in the
plots against the Jews.
Readers will be puzzled by one item
in the book that claimed President
Harry S. Truman had delegated
Secretary of State Dean Acheson to
meet with Vyacheslav Molotov regar-
ding the soon-to-be-born State of Israel.
Acheson was, according to Kahan, on a
mission to assure USSR recognition of
Israel. Lazar is quoted as having ad-
vocated non-recognition of Israel in his
antagonism to Zionism.
The latter element in this expose is
unquestioned while the delegation of
Acheson is questionable. In any event,
the Kaganovich attitude against Israel
and Zionism is a matter of fact, and the
revelations in the Kahan book are
valuable in indicting the self-hatred of
the anti-Semitic Jewish guide of mass
murderer Yosef Stalin.
Therefore, the revelations in The
Wolf of the Kremlin are exceedingly im-
portant in studying the anti-Semitic
policies of the USSR. Many of them
stemmed from Stalin. Kaganovich had
a major role in it. The Wolf of the
Kremlin is, therefore, an exceedingly
valuable documentary account of the
most serious events that have marked
Russian-Jewish history in the current
century.
Cohodas
Continued from Page 2
Funds generated by
Cohodas for the university now
stand at more than $800,000. In
addition to monies for the bank-
ing professorship, substantial
amounts of money have been
established for scholarships for
NMU students, including the
Sam and Evelyn Cohodas
Scholarship Fund and the Col-
umbia Hansen Scholarship
Fund. Columbia Hansen was
the sister of Cohodas' late wife,
Evelyn. Nearly 200 students
have benefitted from these
scholarships.
Such is the glorious story of notable
gifts by the northern Michigan family
that has attained merited recognition
on a grand scale.
While honoring Sam Cohodas,
recognition should be given his nephew,
Willard Cohodas, who has inspired and
helped support philanthropically a
department for the study of the
Holocaust historical records at Nor-
thern Michigan University. The NMU
task has encouraged five other
Michigan universities to establish
similar departments for studies of
Holocasut historical records.
Thus, the Cohodas name lends glory
in many respects — the linking of two
nations' academia, cultural at-
tainments, philanthropic glory, the
signal given to this nation and to the
Jewish people that the horrors of
Nazism will never be forgotten.
Posthumous Honors
For Richard Eliman
Richard Ellmann
Concerned Citizens for the Arts in
Michigan announce the third annual
Governor's Arts Awards ceremony to
take place on Oct. 27. The special in-
terest in this annual event is the selec-
tion for awards to distinguished citizens
including posthumous recognition of
the achievement of Prof. Richard
Ellmann.
This is a most deserving choice. It
comes on the eve of the publication of
what may be the magnum opus of the
eminent author — Prof. Ellmann's work
on Oscar Wilde.
Prof. Ellmann, whose death five
months ago in Oxford, England, was in
the very weeks of his completion of the
Wilde biography, was recognized as the
most distinguished authority on Joyce
and Yeats. His Wilde biography is
awaited predictably as another work of
great merit that is certain to arouse
worldwide debate in literary circles.
The late Prof. Ellmann's home
background will receive extra emphasis
when the posthumous award is
presented by Governor James Blan-
chard. There will be the additional
family involvement with the award's ac-
ceptance by the honoree's brother,
William Ellmann. The ceremonial
earns community-wide acclaim.