spirit and undying sense of human worth. Fascism did not working, growing old and dying beside them on the same understand the power of the Soviet system! A system that earth, and working people have always been free and estranged endured trials of adversity in the Revolution, Civil War and from antisemitism in all of its forms. Towns with large Jewish period of great construction. Fascism misunderstood and populations like Berdichev had never even known antisem- underestimated the friendship of nations among the peoples itism. Ukrainians, Russians, Poles and Jews always lived and of the Soviet Union, and crudely dismissed the Union as a worked together in friendship in these towns. ‘geographic concept.’ Fascism was incapable of fathoming that And so a great people, simple and wise, figured out the Soviet Union is the noble, triumphant and courageous the eternal tragedy of the Jewish people, and understood soul of liberated humanity. something that many educated reactionaries could not: they Fascism did not gauge the strength of our Red Army; its understood the inner essence of antisemitism. The people powerful reserves, courage, technical power. It failed to see that knew that the Germans were themselves guilty of whatever this army is immortal, that its generals, soldiers, tanks, guns crimes they had blamed on the Jews, that the concepts of and planes are the creations of an immortal people. With its world domination, bloody racism, suspicion, and hatred had boorish, small and primitive mind fascism attempted to change been imported by the fascists themselves. The people knew the march of history. German fascism understood nothing and who had tormented, humiliated and robbed them; they was mistaken in everything. understood why the Germans shouted day and night about The Germans failed to deceive Ukraine because its people the criminal Juden. Once they understood this, they bowed cannot be deceived. The senseless and horrifying murder their heads in sympathy and grief for the executed Jews, and of elders, women and children transformed Ukraine into a with silent contempt, they clenched their teeth and glared at nightmare. In Ukrainian towns and villages, people speak with the Nazis. profound empathy for the victims, and with repulsive hatred The people understood the inner essence of fascist for the butchers who committed a mass murder of Jews in the antisemitism, and with their simple and wise vision, they saw fall of 1941 and summer of 1942. through a mirror of lies and looked deep into the eyes of the Khristia Chuniak, a forty year old peasant from the village butchers of modern humanity. This is how they defeated the Krasilovka, in the Brovary district of Kiev oblast, described to goal of National-Socialism, a goal that led Germany to put an me how the Germans led a Jewish doctor named Feldman to entire people on the executioner’s block, and commit a crime be executed in Brovary. This Feldman was an old bachelor who unprecedented in all of human history. had adopted two Christian boys and was loved by everyone. In gullies and deep ravines, in anti-tank ditches of sand A group of weeping and lamenting peasants went to appeal and clay, under heavy black soil, and in swamps and pits, there to the German commanding officer so that he would spare lie hastily flung bodies of professors and workers, doctors and Feldman’s life. The women’s tears moved the commander, and students, old people and children. he agreed. This was in the fall of 1941. Feldman continued to No sound of tears or moaning; no sight of faces drawn live and work as a doctor in Brovary, and he was executed in from suffering. Jews are silent with the dreadful silence of the the spring of 1943. Khristia Chuniak described how the old village Kozary on the old highway to Kiev. man had to dig his own grave; apparently he had to die alone, The wind carries sand onto enormous common graves. for by the spring of 1943 there were no longer any living Jews. Grass has grown on the fields of death. Tall poplar trees flutter As she came to the end of the story, she sobbed and openly above the earth, like dark flags folded in a sign of mourning. wept. The sorrow-filled words of this simple story expressed Silence and peace. with astonishing clarity Ukraine’s relationship to its murdered Oh, if the murdered people could be revived for an J e wr y. instant, if the ground above Babi Yar in Kiev or Ostraia No one believed the fascist propaganda that Jews were Mogila in Voroshilovgrad could be lifted, if a penetrating preparing to enslave Ukraine and take over the world. cry came forth from hundreds and thousands of lips Ukrainians were familiar with Jews after generations of covered in soil, then the Universe would shudder. The iddish version ‘Ukraina on yidn’ aeared in Einikayt on ove€er ‚ƒ„… and †ece€er ‚ƒ„…‡ for the Russian €ackˆtranslation fro the iddish‰ see ‘Ukraina €ez evreev‰’ transŠ Rokhl Bauvol’‰ in Vasilii ‹rossan‰ a evreiski tei‰ edŠ Shion Œarkish ŽJerusale‘ Bi€lioteka ’liya‰ ‚ƒ“” volŠ‘………ˆ…„•Š The colete Russian version of ‘Ukraina €ez evreev’ on –hich the resent translation is €ased ay €e found in VEK‘ Vestnik Evreiskoi Kultury‰ noŠ „ ŽRi—a‰ ‚ƒƒ•”‘ ‚ˆ“ Notes‘ †esna and †nieer‘ The †nieer is one of the lar—est rivers in Euroe and lo–s south fro Russia throu—h Belorus and Ukraine to the Black SeaŠ The †esna is a left tri€utary of the †nieer in northeastern UkraineŠ Kozary‘ villa—e aro™iately ‚•• k northeast of KievŠ Before Easter‘ €ased on this descrition‰ it is likely that the to–n –as destroyed in early ’ril of ‚ƒ„Š šeriod of —reat construction‘ refers to Stalin’s accelerated develoent of heavy industry in the Soviet Union durin— the ‚ƒ…•sŠ Ba€i ›ar in Kiev or œstraia Œo—ila in Voroshilov—rad‘ Œass —ravesŠ Ba€i ›ar –as a ravine north–est of Kiev –here it is estiated that azis shot to death €et–een ‚••‰••• and ‚•‰••• Je–s on ƒ and …• Sete€er‰ ‚ƒ„‚Š œstraia Œo—ila lies outside Voroshilov—rad Žno– Lu—ansk”‰ in the †on€ass re—ion of eastern Ukraine‰ –here it is estiated that azis shot to death €et–een ‚‰“•• and …‰••• Je–s fro the surroundˆ in— area on ‚ ove€er ‚ƒ„Š Published with the kind permission of the Grossman ˆstate, ourtesy of ndrew …urnberg ssoiates ‰td Jewish Quarterly • 1˜
Ukraine without Jews - by Vasil Grossman Page 6