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HOW DID THE JEWS LIVE IN USSR? COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS
Why did the chairman of the KGB Andropov "steal" Matzah from the Jews? What did the Ukrainian KGB consider sionnist song and "imitation of Jewish dances"? What did the Soviet citizens ask about antisemitism in their country?
On the eve of the Passover (March 27, 1975), the Jewish communities of Western Europe and Israel sent a large number of matzah parcels to the USSR. According to the Soviet KGB, such parcels could reinforce the nationalist and emigration sentiments of Soviet Jews. The KGB decided to confiscate matzah at the border.
From Michael Beizer's collection
Jewish dances and music were banned as a part of the Soviet anti-Semitic state campaign. In the document below, the Ukranian KGB lists restaurants where such a repertoire was performed. For example, it describes "an attempt" of one of the restaurant guests to "imitate" Jewish dances and address the performance of the Jewish march "Meeting of Musicians" as an "Israeli call sign."
From the SBU collection
On October 21, 1957, a public lecture about the national question in the USSR was held in Moscow. The audience sparked a hot discussion and demonstrated inconsistencies of the official narrative about Soviet Jews. People were interested in the infringement of the Jewish rights, suppression of Jewish culture and traditions, spread of "vile" (quote) anti-Semitism in the USSR and etc.
How Anti-Semitism Unites a Soviet-style Dictator and a Liberal Harvard Alumni?
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