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Anti-passover Demonstration Leads to Clash

April 4, 1923
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A clash occurred at the anti-Passover carnival of the Jewish Communists at Krementehug when a number of more pious Jews attacked the Communists’ burlesque of the Passover festival. A free for all fight resulted.

The anti-religious demonstrations were held throughout White Russia and the Ukraine. In addition to the carnivals, buffooning the festival, the Jewish Communists appealed to the other Jews to go to work on the holidays and devote the wages of the first day of the first day of the festival to the labor movement and the proceeds of the second day to the Red Army.

The Jewish Communists speeches also made it a point to stress the “folly” of the housewife getting special dishes for Passover and the higher cost of Matzos or unleavened bread as compared with bread.

The Communists are very elated over the general success of their anti-religion campaign. They point, to the large number of Jewish synagogues which have been turned into workmen’s clubs. They also declare their pleasure in the fact that many factories in south Russia have accepted in some cases Monday, some Wednesday as their weekly rest days, thus abolishing the Sabbaths of the three great religions.

In all of the carnivals, the figure of Moses is carricatured extensively. Appeals are made that the Jews lose their racial identity in the general Russian nation. Special appeals are made to all those contemplating marriage to avoid the Jewish religious ceremony.

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