Norwich bulletin., 1920-04-17

One of the first revelations to me on arriving in Russia was finding that the thought I had entertained regard ing the number and influence of Jews in the bolshevist government was quite erroneous, writes Isaac Don Le- vine, who went to Russia for the Chi cago Daily News in i919. I found that there were Jews in the commissarlat for foreign affairs, where knowledge of foreign languages is required and I found Jews in a number of other departments with which foreigners, newspaper men from America and Europe, would necessarily come in touch. These Jews were there mainly because of their knowledge of foreign languages or because they had liv- ed in foreign countries. But when 1 got away from these departments and went to the internal vital organiza- ton and bodies of the soviet govern ment, I found surprisingly low number of Jews. The communist par ty, which is the new name for the bolshevists, is composed of about eighty per cent. pure Russians and twenty per cent all other nationalities among which, indeed, there is a. con- siderable number of Jews The, req son for this is twofold: First. the Jews are the most intelligent of all . the non Slav races in Russia; second, the communist party is recruited largely from the cities and the Jews form a large part of the urban popu- lation in Russia.
 Now, this as regards the first inn pression that an observant visitor ob- tains in Russia. Then, when you go deeper into the matter you find that what the western world thinks of the origin of bolshevism, that the theory of Karl Marx is bolshevism-you find that this is nothing but nonsense. Lenine might be the finest exponent of Karl Marx, but the majority of the Russian masses know nothing about Karl Marx, neither do they under stand Lenien's interpretations of Karl Marx, nor doctrinaire socialism of the various brands. Nevertheless, the masses, the peasants, are bolshevists not in the sense of really intelligent | fanatics for the cause of socialism, l but bolshevists insofar as the idea be- | speaks to them a movement of the 1 peasantry against the landlords fol | the purpose of securing first of all the l peasant ownership ofthe land. ] One finds in walking the streets ot | Moscow, some peculiar things. One ol l these is monument erected last year | It is a monument not to Jew, not 1 to Karl Marx, not to a socialist or 2 communist, but to man by the name 1 of Stephan Razin. of whom very few ! have heard. You will find in Russian history that Razin. three hundred years ago, when Karl Marx. Lenine | and Trotzky were unknown, raised | the banner of rebellion on the Volga l Russia's national river, against thu 1 rule of the czars in Moscow. AnC ] Razin who was nothing but ser l leading rebelious slaves is the typi fication of bolshevism to the Russian peasants. For three hundred year | bolshevism has been smoldering il | Russia.
 Less than two hundred years age man by the name of Pugachov, al
 so a rebel leader, repeated the epi | sode of RaZin. He also was stopped Razin was publicly tortured and eX ecuted in Moscow and where he wa
 executed three hundred years ago you will now find a monument raise 1 by the risen Russian people, who SC | it in the symbol of their centuries i old aspirations. This is bolshevisn
 On top of this is built communism and Lenine's idea of a new social or
 der, but if not for the peasant move
 ment which is three hundred year
 old and which is purely Russian an
 
 Russia would not be where she is to
 day. So much for the part of tn
 Jews in the origination of bolshevisI
 and it's leadership.
 T Now, go down to the Jewish people
 down into the ghetto. Go to tow
 like Dvinsk, or Gomel not very bi
 towns, but still having thirty o
 forty thousand Jews each. Begin t
 talk to Jews of all kinds, of all type and classes. You are an America newspaper correspondent Those dis patches which told of the Jews bein
 leaders of boIshevism are still in tn
 background of your mind and here ar
 the real Jews of Russia. Are the ,, bolshevists? No. Emphatically no. First of all you find they are mor , bitter in their opposition to bolshe vist rule than any other class of tt ]