"The case of the pest doctors" and its resonance in Ukraine (1953)

The article analyzes for the first time in domestic historical and legal literature the main aspects of the political and ideological campaign, which, on instructions from Moscow, was carried out by the Communist Party leadership of the republic and its regions in connection with the case of the "pest doctors" in early 1953, the responses of different segments of the population, different nationalities (including Jewish), from most regions of Ukraine to this campaign at its beginning (January, 1953) and after its completion (April, 1953). This was the peak of the anti-Semitic policy of the Soviet state, which sought to Russify and assimilate all the peoples of the USSR, to eliminate national differences and to be based on Russian culture and language. Аnalysis of this information allows us to conclude that we have before us a wide range of opinions of the population about the case of the "pest doctors". The authors combine these points of view into the following main ones: 1. Condemnation of the actions of the "pest doctors", indignation at them and unconditional approval of this campaign by the authorities. 2. Going beyond the initial framework of the campaign and spreading accusations of hostility to the Soviet authorities to the entire Jewish people, manifestations of sharp anti-Semitism, demands for the eviction of Jews, prohibitions for them to engage in certain types of activities, primarily in the field of medicine and trade. 3. Expressions of distrust of doctors in general, but especially of Jewish nationality. 4. Expressions of hooliganism towards persons of Jewish nationality, threats to them, beatings of them, distribution of anti-Semitic leaflets. 5. Identification of shortcomings in the work of various medical institutions, demands to improve their activities, strengthen ideological and educational work among their employees and the entire population of the republic. 6. Certain forms of resistance and attempts to justify themselves on the part of the Jewish population. A separate group consists of documents that show the reaction of the population to the conclusion of this case and the acquittal of the “pest doctors”. Here too, there was a spectrum of different points of view: 1. Outrage that the population was misled by this campaign, the belief that it was someone’s oversight, most likely by the state security agencies, or pressure from international Zionist circles or directly from the USA. 2. Approval of the acquittal of the “pest doctors”. 3. Distrust of this decision, the belief that Jews are «all enemies». 4. Nostalgia for Stalin, under whom there was supposedly order and such a review of the case would not have happened.

Ukraine, 1950s, Stalinism, anti-Semitism, state’s security bodies, "the doctor’s case".