Евреи Ленинграда

Relates to antisemitism in the first part of the book (pp. 27-131). The March Revolution of 1917, which emancipated the Jews, brought about a mood of brotherhood toward them in Petrograd. However, the Bolshevik putsch in June was followed by an outburst of pogromist antisemitism. The October Revolution intensified anti-Jewish sentiments in the city. Post-revolutionary antisemitism grew on the identification of Jews with Bolshevism; the period of the NEP (1921-28) and the influx of Jews into Leningrad created the stereotype of the affluent Jewish "nepman" enjoying many privileges under Soviet rule. Antisemitism was widespread among Leningrad workers, in the army, and even in the party. Dwells on the Pskov affair - the murder of a Jewish worker by a comrade in 1929; the murderer, acting out of sheer antisemitism, was sentenced to only five years in prison, and his act was widely approved by the populace in both Pskov and Leningrad. The authorities tried to counteract antisemitism with propaganda. After 1930, antisemitism declined in Leningrad due to the strengthening of the regime's hold on social life. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)