On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Russian revolution the Soviet press today publishes a list of persons who have been decorated since the beginning of the present war, revealing that more than 5,000 Jews have received awards for gallantry in action at the front.
Other articles, reviewing the opportunities that have been offered the Jews of Russia by the Soviet Government and their accomplishments in various fields of endeavor in the twenty-five years since the October revolution, are also published today.
One article cites the fact that of all the persecuted nationalities in Czarist Russia the Jews were the greatest sufferers, being forced to live inside the pale of settlement in constant fear of pogroms and massacres. Today, the writer points out, “Jewish sons and daughters are among those at the front lines at Stalingrad, in the mountains of the Caucasus, and at the gates of Leningrad, and elsewhere along the far-flung battle lines, defending the country that has given them freedom.” Another article discusses the role played by Jews in the Civil War which followed the overthrow of the Czar. It cites many Jews who have played and still play an important part in the defense of Russia.
GOVERNMENT PRAISED FOR FOSTERING DEVELOPMENT OF JEWISH CULTURE
At the same time, leading Jewish scientists, artists and engineers today paid tribute to the Soviet Government for fostering the development of Jewish culture in Russia and for facilitating the work of Jewish scientists and men of letters.
Ali Spivak, a member of the Ukrainian Academy of Science and head of its Jewish Scientific Research Department, relates in detail his achievements in the field of Jewish culture which have been made possible by the Government. He reviews the books on Jewish literature he has written including one on the development of the Jewish language in Russia since the revolution, another on the founders of the contemporary Jewish language and his most recent work which assails the “Fascist language madness.”
David Gorfein, a professor at the First Moscow Medical Institute, tells how he was barred from institutions of higher education under the Czar and was forced to go abroad, and live in poverty, to secure his education. “It was only the October Revolution which enabled me to become a professor and a doctor,” he writes. “In the eleven years that I have headed the department at the medical institute we have turned out 6,000 doctors, many of whom are working today with the Red Army.”
Prof. P. Stolarsky, a well known music teacher who has been honored with the title of “People’s Artist of the Republic” and who was recently awarded the Order of the Red Banner, describes himself as “the son of a Jewish klezmer who has been enabled to realize the dreams of his youth with the aid of the revolution.”
B. Yofan, a member of the Academy of Architects, reviews the growth of Soviet architecture in the past twenty-five years and the contributions to its development by Jewish architects. At present, he reveals, many of them are occupied in drawing up plans for new homes for the thousands of people who have been evacuated from territory captured by the Nazis.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
