Moscow Organ Formulates Charges of Anti-semitism Against Communist Workers

Charges which startled some Moscow circles were formulated against Communist officials and leaders in the Petroleum Syndicate, by the “Comsomolyskaya Pravda.” The Communist youth organ charged that the officials and leaders, Communists, are conducting an open anti-Semitic policy. The worker Berzina, a party member, told his co-workers that Jews use Christian blood for matzoth. When he was challenged for this libel at a meeting of the party collective, he said, “Perhaps not now, but they used blood two hundred and three hundred years ago.” For this Berzina was merely reprimanded because his words were considered “Unethical.” He appealed against the decision, complaining it was too severe.

Katchov, a Red Army officer and Chief military guard of the Neft syndicate warehouses, delivered an anti-Semitic speech at a meeting of the Yatsheiko, Communist mother group. Aleshin, the secretary of the Neft syndicate Yatsheiko, who has been a party member since 1903, was silent during the anti-Semitic address. Katchinov was tried by the Yatsheiko for his speech but was merely reprimanded despite four previous offenses of hooliganism and anti-Semitism.

Janitors and watchmen of the Neft syndicate houses openly persecuted Jewish tenants, the paper declares. When the syndicate workers’ paper decided to publish the facts the editor was threatened with expulsion from the party by Aleshin and other members of the propaganda committee, declaring, “We will not permit criticism of the policy of the committee.” The matter was submitted to Sokolnikov, head of the Neft syndicate and a member of the Central Executive Committee. Subsequently the article appeared without the criticism.