From: sergei@upenn5.hep.upenn.edu (Sergei Borodin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: Re: State Supported Antisemitism in Russia
Date: 5 Nov 92 23:23:50 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania




Actually, I got scared by Mr. Zeleny's promise to repost his letter
every week and desided to answer for the sake of the bandwidth.

 zeleny@husc10.harvard.edu (Michael Zeleny) writes:

>In article <96053@netnews.upenn.edu> 
>sergei@upenn5.hep.upenn.edu (Sergei Borodin) writes:

>>  As for myth about state supported antisemitism - never happened.

>Dear Sergei,

>If you mean your claim to be restricted to the Soviet history, would you
>kindly tell me whether or not you are aware of the circumstances of the
>murder of Solomon Mikhoels by the agents of the secret police, and the
>official persecution of the Jewish Antifascist Committee, or the "doctors'
>case" of 1953.  

 I'm wondering that *all* actions performed against persons who happened
 to be Jews are called antisemitic. Interesting enogh this coinsedence:
 the foundation of the state of Israel and the disbanding the JAC (1948?).
 I would dare to say that the persecution of members of the JAC, although
 having been performed against Jews, had nothing to do with antisemitism.
 
 Let me explain why do I think so.  First of all, the JAC, being organized
 in 1942, (actually quite pro-soviet "lavochka") by the year of 1946 
 had done quite a lot. I mean international contacts. In the year 1946
 rebjata zasvetilis' - they reported their actions to comrade Suslov,
 who defenetely reported further. Comrade Stalin wasn't that stupid to
 not realise tha the JAC has international contacts with quite influensive
 people and those contacts are not controlled by the state (I won't discuss 
 here is that good or bad).  The fate of the JAC had been determined,
 sooner or later it should have been disbanded. 
 I hope you won't propose the idea that the disbaning must not be followed
 by persecution - first af all the system didn't work that way, the second
 the JAC had accumulated quite a power which was a guilt by itself.
 
 And, of course, the state of Israel slightly accelerated events.
 
 Surely (when comrade Stalin called Russian people heroes who won WWII),
 he must have explained his actions to heroes, he must have found a 
 definition for the guilt. Isn't it genious - "besrodnye kosmopolity"?
 Defenetely it is.
 
 Was the action antisemitic? No. Just for protection. Just in case.
 
 "Doctors' case" was just a side effect. How come that "bezrodnye
 kosmopolity" were treating comrade Stalin and other important 
 comrades? 
 
 Is that good enough? Ohh, forgot. The murder of S. Mikhoels. 
 What must they have done with the Chairman of the JAC? Leave
 him alone? Put in jail? What?
 
 BTW, why don't you consider the murder of comrade Kirov as
 a russophobic action? And mass murder of others? 

>If the scope of your claim encompasses the Russian Empire,
>would you please outline your opinion on the historical reality of the
>laws mandating the Jewish Pale of Settlement and the percentage quotas, as
>well as the state prosecution of the Beylis affair, 

 Actually, this was out of my claim, sinse we started from entrance
 exams. However, I admit that antisemitism existed in the Empire,
 and it was true state supported. The base for that was
 Judaism as different (just *different*) religion from that of
 officially accepted in the state. You would not claim that it is
 a lie to say that converted to Christianity Jew automatically 
 obtained ALL rights.
 
 Also I should add that restrictions of rights, even persecution and
 murder of people with different religion happened ALL the time ALL
 over the world. Needless to note about "starovertsy".

 Please note that all the above is not intended to pass the judgement
 in any way and sinse we have different appreciation (otsenka) of 
 "Russian soul" I would be happy not to discuss it any further.

>and the authorship of
>the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" by an agent of the Imperial secret
>police.

  Questionable.

>This message will be reposted weekly until a complete answer is obtained.

  Don't do it, dear Mikhail.

>cordially,
mikhail zeleny@husc.harvard.edu
>who would tear out his eyes before crying on your shoulder
>" -- I shall speak bluntly, because life is short."


 S.B.