Yevsektsiya (alternative spelling: Yevsektsia), Russian: ЕвСекция, the abbreviation of the phrase "Еврейская секция" (Yevreyskaya sektsiya) was the Jewish section of the Soviet Communist party. Yevsektsiya was established to popularize Marxism and encourage loyalty to the Soviet regime among Russian Jews. The founding conference of Yevsektsiya took place on October 20, 1918.[1] For most of its existence, the Yevsektsya was headed by Semyon Dimanstein.
Yevsektsiya was entirely subordinate to leadership of the Soviet Communist party. Yevsektsiya members were people of Jewish origin, however, they were hostile to traditional Jewish culture and instead sought to assimilate Jews into the new Soviet society. In line with official Soviet doctrine, Yevsektsiya was deeply opposed to Bundism and Zionism, labeling it a form of "bourgeois nationalism".
The Yevsektsia was disbanded in 1929. Many leading members perished in the Great Purge. Dimanstein was arrested and received death sentence in 1938 and was executed. He was rehabilitated posthumously in 1955, 2 years after the death of Joseph Stalin.
See also
- History of the Jews in Russia and Soviet Union
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Bolshevik
- Birobidzhan
- Komzet
- Jewish Communist Party (Poalei Zion)
External links
- Revolution and Emancipation, The Yevsektsii at Beyond the Pale exhibition
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