Stalin's Strange Story
He publicly denounced anti-Semitism,
then ceaselessly persecuted Jews.
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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But what was the biggest
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a woman, released in 1971. Can
you guess?
It's Carole King's Tapestry,
which to date has sold more
than 10 million copies, along
with M.C. Hammer's Please
Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em,
AC/DC's Back in Black, Pink
Floyd's The Wall and Lionel
Richie's Can't Slow Down.
Interestingly enough, while
that 10 million figure doesn't
come near the Thriller record
of 24 million, it tops any album
by Madonna (her biggest-sell-
er was the 1984 Like a Virgin,
with 9 million) or the Beatles,
whose 1969 Abbey Road also
sold 9 million.
By the way, the next-biggest
sellers by Jewish singers were
Billy Joel's 1977 The Stranger,
which sold 9 million copies,
then Billy Joel's Greatest Hits
Volume I & II, Kenny G.'s
Breathless and Michael Bolton's
1991 Time, Love & Tenderness,
all of which — inexplicably —
sold 8 million copies.
Q: I recently heard that Stal-
in, of all people, had a son
who married someone Jew-
ish. Is this true? Isn't this
strange considering the fact
that Stalin was one of the
greatest anti-Semites of all
time?
A: Few figures in history were
more schizophrenic in their at-
titude toward Jews than Josef
Stalin. There's no question that
he instigated some of the most
murderous campaigns against
Jews, though it would be wrong
to put these on par with the ac-
tions of Adolf Hitler. At the
same time, the Soviet leader is-
sued remarkable public con-
demnations of anti-Semitism
and stepped forward, on more
than one occasion, to support
Jewish causes. But more on
that in a minute.
First, it is indeed true that
Stalin had a son, Yakov, who
married a Jewish woman. Dad
made it clear he did not approve
of the union. Nor was Stalin de-
lighted to learn that his daugh-
ter, Svetlana, was involved with
a Jewish film director named
'Copier — so he had the man ar-
rested and deported to a labor State of Israel. Anyone who
camp.
knows anything about Marx-
Stalin was an early support- ism understands why no com-
er of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. munist worth his weight in
As such, it's not surprising to kopeks could advocate a cause
learn that he denied the exis- like Zionism. Yet Stalin couldn't
tence of a Jewish people and seem to say enough on behalf
saw no validity in Judaism (or of Israel — a decision certainly
any other religion, for that mat- inspired by political considera-
ter).
tions, not heartfelt concern for
Throughout the early years the Jewish people.
of his long career with the Com-
Once Israel showed little in-
munist Party, Stalin rarely terest in becoming a Soviet pup-
made anti-Semitic remarks. He pet state, Stalin became the
worked with Lenin's many Jew- country's chief critic T Ake some
ish associates, including Ka-
manev, Litvinov and Radek.
— men whom he would lat-
er denounce or destroy. Es-
pecially odd was Stalin's
relationship with Red Army
founder Leon Trotsky, with
whom he was closely associ-
ated for many years. Of
course, after Lenin died and
wrote in his will that Trot-
sky (and specifically not Stal-
in) should be his successor,
all that changed. Stalin
found and destroyed the will,
and Trotsky was forced to
flee the Soviet Union to save
his life.
In the 1930s Stalin was in-
volved in one of the more cu-
rious episodes in Soviet-
Jewish history: Birobidzhan. Thanks to Stalin, Leon Trotksy never
This region was supposed to became Lenin's successor.
be a kind of Jewish home-
land, complete with a Yiddish modern-day anti-Semites, he
press, schools and theater. Ini- insisted he had nothing against
tially, Stalin was an advocate; Jews; it was the Zionists with
later, he was responsible for its whom he took issue. He began
downfall.
lambasting Soviet-Jewish citi-
No doubt Stalin's relations zens left and right, unearthing
with the Nazis had much to do "Zionist plots" at every turn, ac-
with his behavior toward Jews cusing anyone and everyone
during the late 1930s. Though with a Jewish connection of be-
he would later deny it, Stalin ing a spy for the West. The re-
signed a Soviet-Nazi anti-ag- sult was the death of literally
gression pact (which the Nazis thousands of innocent men and
abrogated). Soon thereafter, he women.
insisted there was no such
Despite these actions, Stal-
thing as Nazi anti-Semitism, in never owned up to perse-
and deported to the Third Re- cuting Jews. In fact, he stepped
ich Jewish-German commu- forward as one of the most out-
nists who had fled Hitler's spoken opponents of anti-Semi-
regime.
tism. In a 1931 interview with
After the Nazi invasion of the American reporters, Stalin la-
Soviet Union, Stalin once again beled anti-Semitism "the most
did an about-face with the dangerous vestige of cannibal-
Jews. He created the Jewish ism." ❑
Anti-Fascist Committee —
whose members included some Send questions to Tell Me Why,
of the leading actors, writers The Jewish News, 27676
and authors of the day — which
Road, Southfield, MI
he allowed to function virtual- Franklin
48034, or fax to (810) 354-6069.
ly unsupervised. When the war All letters must be sig,ned and in-
ended, Stalin had most of the clude the writer's address. Ques-
committee's members killed.
tions answered in the column will
Perhaps most curious was feature
the writer's initials
Stalin's attitude toward the and city only
of residence.