Investor Presentaiton
activity in secret cells and underground groups. 94 Kaganovich's life as a young revolutionary
displayed many of these traits, starting in 1907 when he was fourteen and moved to Kiev to work
alongside his brother after his family could not afford to continue his education.95
Ury in particular highlights the struggles of Jews moving to urban cities for the first time.
Kaganovich's transition to Kiev did not go smoothly, and his time in Kiev mirrors some of the
realities Ury discusses, particularly the material struggles of Jewish youths and their turn to
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revolutionary work in order to find community.” He recalls the stress of trying, and often
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failing, to find regular work in Kiev." He also mentions surviving only on the most limited
provisions and reflects on the poor living conditions he endured while acclimating to the city and
trying to find work. When he did find work, Kaganovich took up jobs in factories and
workshops. At fourteen he worked as a shoemaker and continued on to work in the leather
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industry. During this time, Kaganovich's earlier sentiments of animosity towards the upper
classes continued to intensify; he recalls watching the rich and well-dressed people who would
pass him in the streets and feeling "imbued with a keen sense of class hatred for these parasites,
bloodsuckers, and, at the time a deep sense of solidarity, love, and respect for my brothers in
class, in need, suffering the same as myself."99 It was at this time that his ideological
commitment to Bolshevism grew from his younger ideas and inclinations into a serious devotion.
94
Ury, Barricades and Banners, 96-97.
95 Rees, Iron Lazar, 4-5
96
Ury, Barricades and Banners, 45-46; 54-56.
97
Kaganovich, Pamiatnye zapiski, 58-59.
98 Rees, Iron Lazar, 5.
99
Kaganovich, Pamiatnye zapiski, 61-62.
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