Soviets tried to stamp out Jewish identity

Gary Selikow

When I see the gross intimidation of Jews in South Africa whenever we show any connection to, or affiliation or solidarity with the Jewish state, including all Israel-related functions being violently picketed by the BDS, SAJVJP, etc, I am reminded of the plight of Soviet Jews from the early 1950s until the late ‘80s who faced brutal pressure from the Communist authorities to cut all ties with Israel, aided by the ever pervasive Jewish-born anti-Israel quislings.

We must not forget the brutal attempts of the Soviet authorities to stamp out Jewish identity and assimilate the Jews by force, into the “Soviet people”.

The Soviet media was poisoned by a daily barrage of hate-propaganda against Israel and Jews were put under draconian pressure to renounce Israel, the homeland of their people.

In some places Soviet Jews, were accused of “Zionist propaganda” because they recited the traditional prayer at Passover: “Next year in Jerusalem.”

To speak as a Jew, or for Jews, in any Jewish cause, was dangerous. Thousands of Jews languished in Soviet prisons and labour camps, for practising their faith, learning Hebrew or identifying with the Jewish State.

Martin Gilbert wrote in his book, The Jews of Hope: “Hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews were electrified by Israel’s victory in the 1967 war. But it was the shrill Soviet propaganda about Israel’s imminent and total defeat that ignited the fuse of national identity.

“Some recall that this propaganda was so gloating in tone as to heighten to its limit the sense of affinity with the apparently doomed State. From that moment, many Soviet Jews regarded Israel as their nation, and emigration to Israel as their national purpose.”

In the Soviet Union the propaganda so-beloved of the radical left today, of “Zionism is fascism”, “Zionism is racism”, “Zionism is Nazism”, “Israel is an apartheid state”, was incubated.

Gilbert adds that each week, and at times, almost daily, press articles, television programmes and wall posters portray Israel as a brutal, even a Neo-Nazi state.

The Jews of the Soviet empire persevered and today hundreds of thousands have made their homes in Israel.

When the Soviets launched an anti-Zionist campaign, headed by Jewish-born anti-Zionists, who claimed that Russian Jews needed no outside defenders, the refuseniks stated: “Yes, we need to be defended. We have no other defenders besides our brothers who call themselves Zionists, brothers from whom you want to isolate Soviet Jews.

“You say we are an inseparable part of the Soviet people, but we say we are an inseparable part of the Jewish people.”

Israel and Jews are one and anti-Zionism is Jew-hatred.

Johannesburg