Antisemitism in the Soviet Union

Photo: Pavel Neznanov, Unsplash

After the end of World War II and the defeat of National Socialism, antisemitism did not disappear from all countries. Antisemitic stereotypes remained widespread in Eastern and Western Europe, as well as in the Soviet Union.

Following the fall of the Tsarist regime and the Bolshevik coup, antisemitic attitudes among the majority population and violence against Jews did not vanish, even though antisemitism was officially banned under Bolshevik leadership and labeled in 1920s propaganda as a “reactionary remnant of Tsarist rule.”

Accusations of Zionist conspiracies often appeared during Stalin’s purges. In the post-World War II period, the rhetoric of Soviet antisemitism changed in form.

Anti-Zionist cartoon from the Soviet magazine Krokodil, 1972. Text: “Aggression,” “Provocation.”

This did not mean that antisemitism ceased to exist, but references to Jewishness began to appear under different terminology. In the following decades, the Soviet press continued its extensive campaign against Israel.

In 1967, after the Six-Day War, the Soviet Union severed diplomatic relations with Israel, leading to increased discrimination against Soviet Jews. This discrimination was fueled by an antisemitic propaganda campaign often labeled as “anti-Zionism.”

According to Soviet anti-Zionist writers, Zionism was portrayed as a centrally directed international system with limitless resources, established to control the entire world.

Soviet anti-Zionist propaganda poster, 1976. “Zionism is racism!” Text: “The essence of racism is the same everywhere: oppression, humiliation, cruelty, war!” Poster, 1976, The Fighting Pencil.

Scholars largely agree that the Soviet propaganda machine used antisemitic conspiracy theories for its own foreign policy purposes—to strengthen the Soviet state's position or to divert attention from the state's failures.

The Soviet Union did not limit its fight against Zionism within its own borders. Numerous anti-Zionist texts were translated, published, and distributed in the Middle East, as well as across the Americas and Africa. This anti-Zionist messaging was tailored to different contexts; for example, in South Africa, it connected Zionism with apartheid, while in Latin America, it was linked to discussions on American imperialism.

Why is this important?

It is clear that similar ideologies are still alive and spreading today, often without people recognizing or understanding their origins.

Recent societal developments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of conspiracy thinking, antisemitic attitudes emerging in discussions about the State of Israel, and increasing threats faced by local Jewish communities—indicate that Finland is far from an ideal place when it comes to racism, antisemitism, or other forms of discrimination.

Sources

Czimbalmos, M., & Pataricza, D. (2024). Venäjänkielisten juutalaisten kertomuksia antisemitismistä ja syrjinnästä Neuvostoliitossa ja Suomessa. Teologinen Aikakauskirja, 129(1), 36-55. https://doi.org/10.62442/ta.143533

Tabarovsky, I.  (2019). Soviet Anti-Zionism and Contemporary Left Antisemitism. https://fathomjournal.org/soviet-anti-zionism-and-contemporary-

left-antisemitism/ (luettu 22.12.2024).

Tabarovsky, I.  (2022). Demonization Blueprints: Soviet Conspiracist Antizionism in Contemporary Left-Wing Discourse. Journal

of Contemporary Antisemitism 5:1, 1–20. DOI:10.26613/jca/5.1.97.

Tabarovsky, I.  (2024). Soviet Anti-Zionism and Contemporary Left Antisemitism. Mapping the New Left Antisemitism. Toim. Alan Johnson. Abingdon: Routledge, 109–122. DOI: 10.4324/9781003322320-16.