Young Communist Worker Kills Jewish Worker with Axe Because He Was a Jew

A cruel murder of his fellow worker, committed by a Communist worker in a Soviet factory in Pskov, is reported today by the Rosta, Soviet news agency.

The worker, Trofimov, a member of the Comsomol, Communist youth organization, murdered the Jewish worker Bolsheminikov, also a member of the youth organization. The murder was committed with an ax in the dormitory provided for workers of the factory, Matalist.

Trofimov when arrested said: “I killed him because I am a Russian and he is a Jew.”

The murder followed a long series of persecutions against the Jewish workers. The Communist group of the factory was notified of the state of affairs, but refused to take action. Kunitzin and Gurin, members of the Comsomol, who participated in the persecutions, were also arrested. Trofimov, because of previous complaints, was expelled from the Communist party.

The funeral of the Jewish worker Bolsheminikov was turned into a huge demonstration against anti-Semitism. The marchers carried placards denouncing the murder as a counter revolutionary act.

Because of the spreading anti-Semitism among the clerks and employees of the Moscow cooperative government stores, the clerks organization decided to conduct a special investigation into all Communist groups, professional clubs and workers groups in the city. The investigating commission is composed of 150 members.

Two Russians, members of the Ostrovana police force, were sentenced in the Minsk court for beating two Jews. Zhigolov was sentenced to four years in jail and Butinov to 18 months.

An editorial denouncing Communists who countenance anti-Semitism appeared today in the “Pravda,” government organ. Anti-Semitism encourages Zionist nationalist activities among the Jewish masses, hampering the Communist influence, the “Pravda” declares.