Stalin's Secret Pogrom: The Postwar Inquisition of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (Annals of Communism)

588 Pages·2001·10.09 MB·English

by  Laura E. Wolfson

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P O S T W ~ ~
C , _
IN~,~UISITION':OF
THE JEWISH
ANTI-FASCI ST
COMMITTEE
ANNALS OF COMMUNISM
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Stalin's Secret Pogrom
The Postwar Inquisition of the
Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee
Edited and with introductions by
Joshua Rubenstein and
Vladimir P. Naumov
Translated by Laura Esther Wolfson
Published in association with the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Yale University Press
New Haven and London
Published with assistance from the Kingsley Trust Association Publication Fund established
by the Scroll and Key Society of Yale College.
This volume has been prepared with the cooperation of the Presidential Commission of the
Russian Federation on the Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repression.
The assertions, arguments, and conclusions contained herein are those of the volume editors.
They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the United States Holocaust Memorial Coun-
cil or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Copyright O 2001 by Yale University.
Preface copyright O 2001 by Vladimir Pavlovich Naumov.
Introduction copyright O 2001 by Joshua Rubenstein.
All translations copyright O 2001 by Yale University.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form
(beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and
except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers.
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Printed in the United States of America by Vail-Ballou Press, Binghamton, New York.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nepravednyi sud. English.
Stalin's secret pogrom : the postwar inquisition of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee /
edited and with introductions by Joshua Rubenstein and Vladimir P. Naumov ;
translated by Laura Esther Wolfson.
p. cm. - (Annals of Communism)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-300-08486-2 (cloth)
I. Lozovskii, Solomon Abramovich, 1878-1952-Trials, litigation, etc. 2. Evreiskii
antifashistskii komitet v SSSR-Trials, litigation, etc. 3. Trials (Political crimes and
offenses)-Russia (Federation)-Moscow. 4. Courts-martial and courts of inquiry-
Soviet Union. 5. Judicial error-Soviet Union. 6. Jews-Persecutions-Soviet Union.
7. World War, 1939-1945-Jews. I. Rubenstein, Joshua. 11. Naumov, Vladimir
Pavlovich. 111. Title. IV. Series.
KLA41.L69 N4713 zoo1
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee
on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Yale University Press gratefully acknowledges the financial support
given for this publication by the John M. Olin Foundation, the
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Historical Research
Foundation, Roger Milliken, Lloyd H. Smith, Keith Young, the
William H. Donner Foundation, Joseph W. Donner, Jeremiah Mil-
bank, the David Woods Kemper Memorial Foundation, the
Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Foundation, the Milton V. Brown Foun-
dation, and the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation.
For Jill and Benjamin
Contents
Preface, by Vladimir P. Naumov XI
Acknowledgments xxi
Note on the Translation xxiv
Chronology xxvi
INTRODUCTION. Night of the Murdered Poets,
by Joshua Rubenstein
PART ONE. Court Record of the Military Collegium
of the USSR Supreme Court, May 8-July 18,1952
Testimony by the Defendants
ISAAC FEFER
EMILIA TEUMIN
PERETZ MARKISH
DAVID BERGELSON
LEYB KVITKO
DAVID HOFSHTEYN
JOSEPH YUZEFOVICH
SOLOMON LOZOVSKY
BORIS SHIMELIOVICH
SOLOMON BREGMAN
Statements by Isaac Fefer and Joseph Yuzefovich
in Closed Judicial Session
Testimony by the Defendants
SOLOMON BREGMAN CONTINUED
LEON TALMY
ILYA VATENBERG
KHAYKE VATENBERG-OSTROVSKAYA
BENJAMIN ZUSKIN
LINA SHTERN
Experts' Testimony in Closed Judicial Session, June 26
Experts' Testimony in Closed Judicial Session, June 27
Experts' Testimony in Closed Judicial Session, June 28
Determination Regarding the Defendants' Petitions
Testimony by the Defendants
LINA SHTERN CONTINUED
ADDITIONAL TESTIMONY
Determination to Separate Solomon Bregman's Case
Statement by Isaac Fefer in Closed Judicial Session
The Defendants' Final Statements
The Sentence
Contents
PART TWO. The Resolution: Post-Trial Documents
Certificate That the Sentence Was Carried Out,
August 12,1952
Death Certificate for Solomon Bregman, January 23,1953
Determination to Cease Solomon Bregman's Prosecution,
June 3, I953
Determination to Annul the Sentence and Terminate
the Case of Lozovsky et al., November 22,1955
Notes
Index
Illustrations follow page 64