B. B. Janz
Encyclopedia
Benjamin B. Janz was a minister of the Mennonite Brethren Church who was instrumental in assisting thousands of Mennonites in emigrating from the Soviet Union
to Canada
.
Janz was born in Konteniusfeld, Molotschna
, Russian Empire
, in current-day Ukraine
. He was baptized
into the Mennonite Brethren Church on 10 August 1897. In 1905 he married Maria Rogalsky.
Janz became a school teacher in the village of Tiege in current-day Ukraine. He became an ordained Mennonite minister in the Mennonite Brethren Church 1909. In 1920, Janz became the chair of the Union of Descendants of Dutch Lineage, the most prominent Mennonite political organization in the Soviet Union. During the famine of 1921
, Janz helped negotiate permission for the entry of relief supplies from American
Mennonite relief agencies. Janz was also asked by the Mennonite Brethren Church to negotiate the release of men who had been conscripted into the Red Army
.
Beginning in 1922, Janz began negotiations with the Soviet government to allow emigration of Mennonites to Canada. In 1923, 3000 Mennonites emigrants left the Soviet Union largely as a result of Janz's efforts. In 1924, 5048 more emigrated. Janz remained as spokesman for the Mennonites in the Soviet Union until March 1926.
Janz and his family emigrated to Canada in 1926 when he learned from one of his Communist friends that the authorities had targeted him for arrest or assassination. Initially, Janz settled in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, but in 1927 he purchased farmland in Coaldale
, Alberta
, where Janz became the leading Mennonite minister. Janz worked as a member of the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization and helped some additional Mennonites emigrate from the Soviet Union to Canada. While in Coaldale, Janz also helped found the Coaldale Bible School and the Coaldale Mennonite High School.
After World War II
, Janz spent time in South America
ministering to Mennonites and others who were displaced from Europe
due to the war.
Janz died in Abbotsford
, British Columbia
, and was buried in Coaldale, Alberta. He was the father of six children.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Janz was born in Konteniusfeld, Molotschna
Molotschna
Molotschna Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement in what is now Zaporizhia Oblast in Ukraine. Today is called Molochansk with a population of under 10,000. The settlement is named after the Molochna River which forms its western boundary. Today the land mostly falls within the Tokmatskyi and...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, in current-day Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. He was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
into the Mennonite Brethren Church on 10 August 1897. In 1905 he married Maria Rogalsky.
Janz became a school teacher in the village of Tiege in current-day Ukraine. He became an ordained Mennonite minister in the Mennonite Brethren Church 1909. In 1920, Janz became the chair of the Union of Descendants of Dutch Lineage, the most prominent Mennonite political organization in the Soviet Union. During the famine of 1921
Russian famine of 1921
The Russian famine of 1921, also known as Povolzhye famine, which began in the early spring of that year, and lasted through 1922, was a severe famine that occurred in Bolshevik Russia...
, Janz helped negotiate permission for the entry of relief supplies from American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Mennonite relief agencies. Janz was also asked by the Mennonite Brethren Church to negotiate the release of men who had been conscripted into the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
Beginning in 1922, Janz began negotiations with the Soviet government to allow emigration of Mennonites to Canada. In 1923, 3000 Mennonites emigrants left the Soviet Union largely as a result of Janz's efforts. In 1924, 5048 more emigrated. Janz remained as spokesman for the Mennonites in the Soviet Union until March 1926.
Janz and his family emigrated to Canada in 1926 when he learned from one of his Communist friends that the authorities had targeted him for arrest or assassination. Initially, Janz settled in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, but in 1927 he purchased farmland in Coaldale
Coaldale, Alberta
Coaldale is a town in southern Alberta, Canada, located east of Lethbridge, along the Crowsnest Highway.- Attractions :The main attractions are the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, the Land o' Lakes Golf Course, and the Gem of the West Museum....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, where Janz became the leading Mennonite minister. Janz worked as a member of the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization and helped some additional Mennonites emigrate from the Soviet Union to Canada. While in Coaldale, Janz also helped found the Coaldale Bible School and the Coaldale Mennonite High School.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Janz spent time in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
ministering to Mennonites and others who were displaced from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
due to the war.
Janz died in Abbotsford
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and was buried in Coaldale, Alberta. He was the father of six children.
External links
- "Janz, Benjamin B. (1877-1964)", Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online