to the matter of the Russian revolution and its aftermath. I don’t know how well you know this history without the overlay of your desire to discredit both Jews and communism.
I studied Russian language and literature for five years through to degree level and read originals of classics and Soviet literature. As part of my study we considered the impact of the revolution on many things (my professor was a wonderfully gracious, refined and clever Russian who had escaped Russia at the time (and yes she was old !)
your commentary on the role of Jews in the revolution and the barbarity of some is out of historic context. This was a period of changing and fickle sentiments. Jews were in the camp and out of the camp. It was more complicated because the Mensheviks, led by Trotsky, had a number of Jews (depending on whether you use the term for observant or secular Jews.
As Lenin was fading his successors included Trotsky and Stalin. Stalin ended up manoeuvring into power and Trotsky was hounded with many from his faction killed Stalin was anti semitic and so of course he found disturbed ruthless man to do his dirty work.
leibler was both anti communist and a strong supporter of Jewish people in the Soviet Union. His work was written in that context and not as an attempt to denigrate Jews in general or to somehow use yagodas existence as a way of pointing out that Jews were murderers.
so try this on
Vassili Berezhkov, a retired KGB colonel and historian of the secret services and the NKVD (the precursor of the KGB), said: "The question of ethnicity did not have any importance either in the revolution or the story of the NKVD. This was a social revolution and those who served in the NKVD and cheka were serving ideas of social change”
and this is exactly how it was. Early in the revolution antisemitism was outlawed and laws changed to prevent pogroms. Zionism however was frowned upon. But big forte reasons you might think. It was about nationalism and equality. and communism was primarily secular.
that Jews connected enthusiastically with communism is no surprise
in Russia it was a reaction to the awful oppression of the tsars and Jews were subject to pogroms and discrimination. Communism promised a way out and equality. Given that both Trotsky and Lenin didn’t mind violence and Stalin indulged heavily in violent elimination of his detractors it was inevitable that Jews would be involved.
whether they were observant Jews or simply from Jewish families may or may not matter because in the end their heritage was intentionally irrelevant and what wax wanted was people up to tte job. Like goebels, or goering
so you can trot out as much as you wish about yagoda but it’s pointless
