Investor Presentaiton

purges, any remaining Jewish cultural institutions were irreparably damaged.2 216 217 Kaganovich, on the other hand, was one of the main actors during the Purges and is often remembered for his viciousness in carrying out Stalin's aggression towards others.² Khrushchev recalled that when "incited by Stalin, Kaganovich played the part of a vicious cur who was unleashed to tear limb from limb any member of the Politburo on whom he sensed Stalin's coolness."218 During the purges, Kaganovich was included with Molotov, Voroshilov, 219 and Zhdanov as the top signatories of death sentences after Stalin.2 Kaganovich also personally oversaw the purges in cities outside of Moscow with "more panache and dramatic effects" than others, including "shouting and hectoring," all while frequently reporting back to Stalin, often several times a day.220 Kaganovich's ruthlessness was not originally a defining trait, but after years beside Stalin in a top spot in Soviet politics, he developed a different attitude. Kaganovich's ruthlessness was also extended towards other Jews, which shows how far Kaganovich had separated himself from the Jewish community. According to Sebag Montefiore, Kaganovich ardently despised Yiddish culture. 221 His deep separation from the Jewish community is also visible in his reaction to the Jewish Antifascist Committee (JAFC) formed in December 1941 and popularized by 1942.222 According the Rees, Kaganovich did not join and 216 Gitelman, Assimiliation, Acculturation, and National Consciousness, 18. 217 "Khruschev on Stalin" in Benjamin Pinkus and Jonathan Frankel, The Soviet Government and the Jews, 1948- 1967: A Documented Study, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 1984), 107. 218 "Khruschev on Stalin" in The Soviet Government and the Jews, 1948-1967: A Documented Study, 107. 219 Sheila Fitzpatrick, On Stalin's Team: The Years of Living Dangerously in Soviet Politics, (Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing, 2015), 126 220 Ibid, 127. 221 Sebag Montefiore, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, 306. 222 Rees, Iron Lazar, 245. 54

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