Jewish Farmers In Belarus During The 1920s

Smilovitsky, Leonid. “The Jewish Farmers in Belarus During the 1920s.” Jewish Political Studies Review Jerusalem. Vol. 9, No 1-2. (1997): Pages 59-72.

Available from:

JewishGen Belarus Newsletter November 2002

Notes

History

Jews enter Belarus in late 14th centure with permission of Vitovt, Prince of the Great Kingdom of Lithuania.
- Immigrated from Western Europe, mostly Germany and Poland
1917 Russian revolution. Civil war and pogroms take place; result in Jews supporting Bolshevik Party
- Jews attempt to emigrate. Civil war stopped emigration.
New Economic Policy
- abolition of private trade; restrictions on small artisans. Depriving rights (Lishentsy), “persons without any definite kind of occupation”
- Former Jewish merchants, dealers, trademen, shopkeepers, mediators, melameds (teachers), craftsmen, handicraft workers
- These Jews lived with the help of remitances from abroad
Soviets try to solve Jewish poverty by allowing them to be farmers
- Insufficient land in Belarus to add Jewish farmers.
- Therefore, it was necessary to “evict” all Jews who wanted to be farmers
- Early Jewish collective farms created naturally between 1918-1920. Founded by groups of workers, craftsmen, petty merchants, dealers and shopkeepers to save themselves from famine
- In 1921, new Jewish collective farms stopped
- Between 1924-1925, 80 Jewish collective farms created in BSSR
Aid for Jewish farming came from
- American-Jewish United Agricultural Corporation (Agrojoint)
- Society for Spreading Farming and Handicraft amoung Jews
- Jewish Colonial Society
- Resettlement of one Jewish family cost between 1800-2200 rubles
Jews were over 20% of the Belarus Communist Party, but never more than 10% of the population.

Commerce

Jews living in cities and towns interacted with the villare and rural economies
- trade in the forest industries
- leather industries
- Peddling village produce (flax, hemp and bristles) in the city
- agriculture
After Revolution, high unemployment
- Blacksmiths were better off
- Tanners, dressmakers, tailors, shoemakers and others were jobless