Thousands of Jewish artisans are in danger of losing their bread cards as a result of a decision of the Moscow Central Labor Bureau, which states that only artisans who are members of cooperatives will be entitled to bread cards. The decision of the Bureau, which will become a law, was taken in connection with the continuous campaign to collectivize the artisans.
The decision primarily concerns the city artisans. A more restrictive clause deals with the artisans in the villages. This clause declares that “in the villages the artisans will be supplied with bread only on the condition that the cooperatives to which they belong submit their entire product to government organizations.”
As a result of this decision a very large number of artisans will either be forced to enter cooperatives as the government desires, or to purchase bread as Nepmen. The new bread regulations, which originally were not aimed at the Jews, will most directly affect them.
The new regulations give preference to artisans working in the building trades, declaring that they will be entitled to special privileges.
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.
