Judaism Without Embellishment – Antisemitism in Soviet Propaganda Against Religion. Special issue of the journal Jews in Eastern Europe, focusing on Soviet antisemitism surrounding two hate-driven events that occurred in 1964: the publication of an antisemitic book in the spirit of Der Stürmer, issued by the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences under the title “Judaism Without Embellishment”; and severe restrictions imposed by Soviet authorities that year on the distribution of matzah and kosher food for Passover within the Jewish community.
The issue extensively addresses a series of antisemitic publications that appeared one after the other in the Soviet Union, both as books and in the press. It is accompanied by numerous antisemitic caricatures published at the time, identical in style to Nazi-era cartoons, portraying the Eastern European Jew as an object of ridicule. This occurred despite the fact that, officially, the Soviet Union had no racial policy, as the Communist Party and Soviet government were committed to the ideals of national respect and social equality regardless of class or skin color. Yet when it came to the Jews, ideology was abandoned in favor of antisemitism.
The central article focuses in depth on the book Judaism Without Embellishment, published that year by the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. It illustrates how the author mocks the Jewish religion, Yiddish pronunciation, and Jewish religious customs. He draws on antisemitic narratives from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to criticize the Israeli government and its leader at the time, David Ben-Gurion. He also distorts Jewish sources to extract alleged quotes implying that the exploitation of nations is part of Jewish teaching, claiming that “the Talmud morally corrupts people and instills in them a spirit of commerce and extortion. A prime example of extortionists are the rabbis themselves…”.
The publication included caricatures in the style of Nazi Der Stürmer, depicting Jewish swindlers and cheats taking refuge in synagogues, Judaism degrading women, religion in exchange for money, and more.
In the second part of the journal, the writer responds at length to each of the antisemitic claims found in Judaism Without Embellishment, confronting them with the truth and refuting them one by one. He also cites articles from Soviet law which clearly prohibit all forms of antisemitic propaganda, noting that despite this, no enforcement body intervened to prevent the book’s distribution.
The booklet also describes how, starting in 1957, Soviet authorities increasingly prevented Jews from baking matzah for Passover or obtaining it elsewhere, particularly in 1964 – the year this issue was published, and how the Jewish community tried to cope with the decree.
63 pages. Overall in very good condition, with the exception of a single wormhole.
