Semyon Dimanstein
Encyclopedia
Semyon Dimanstein
Semyon Dimanstein ( (1886(uncertain)- August 1938) was a Soviet
state activist, publisher, theorist of national issues in the USSR, and one of the founders of the Soviet Oriental studies. He was considered by the Soviet regime to be a representative of Soviet Jews.
Dimanstein was born in Sebezh, Pskov
oblast in a Jewish family of a trader. He studied in a Chabad
yeshiva
where eighteen-year Semyon was ordained as a rabbi. He suffered from poverty
and homelessness
, and gradually abandoned his religious upbringing in favor of revolutionary activities.
in Vilno. In political debates, he often clashed with Jewish Socialist Party, Bund and Zionist parties. After the range of the government repression in 1908, he was sentenced to life settlement in the Irkutsk
region. Dimanstein escaped and left the Russian Empire
for France
until the March Revolution
1917.
October Revolution
in 1917. He was appointed a head of Yevsektsiya
in January 1918.
In 1920 Dimanstein was sent to Bukhara
People's Soviet Republic where he established Soviet institutions and supported creation of a local Party-approved elite. In 1922-1924 Dimanstein worked in the Agitation
Department of Ukraine.
In 1924 he returned to Moscow
where he headed different propaganda departments whose objectives were to spread Soviet ideology
among non-Russian peoples. Dimanstein was an editor of New East and Revolution and Nationality. He was a steady supporter of Stalin's policies
. His last appointment was as head of the Central Committee of OZET
. He was also editor of the Yiddish language newspaper Der Emes' (The Truth)'.
Semyon Dimanstein advocated the establishment of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
the Russian Far East
. In 1930 he was against the collectivization of Jewish settlements in Jewish national districts
of Southern Ukraine
and Northern Crimea
. In 1935 Dimanstein was an editor of a propaganda
book entitled Yidn in FSSR (Jews in the Soviet Union). From October 1936, Dimanstein was one of the editors of Forpost, a newspaper in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast's capital city of Birobidzhan
.
on 20 August 1938 and was executed. He was rehabilitated posthumously on 13 August 1955, two years after the death of Stalin.
Semyon Dimanstein ( (1886(uncertain)- August 1938) was a Soviet
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....
state activist, publisher, theorist of national issues in the USSR, and one of the founders of the Soviet Oriental studies. He was considered by the Soviet regime to be a representative of Soviet Jews.
Dimanstein was born in Sebezh, Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
oblast in a Jewish family of a trader. He studied in a Chabad
Chabad
Chabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
where eighteen-year Semyon was ordained as a rabbi. He suffered from poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, and gradually abandoned his religious upbringing in favor of revolutionary activities.
Pre-Revolution Socialist activities
In 1904 Dimanstein became a member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour PartyRussian Social Democratic Labour Party
The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party , also known as Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party or Russian Social Democratic Party, was a revolutionary socialist Russian political party formed in 1898 in Minsk to unite the various revolutionary organizations into one party...
in Vilno. In political debates, he often clashed with Jewish Socialist Party, Bund and Zionist parties. After the range of the government repression in 1908, he was sentenced to life settlement in the Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
region. Dimanstein escaped and left the 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...
for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
until the March Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
1917.
Party career
At that time Russia was at war and Dimanstein was a propagandist of a peace treaty. He was one of the editors of Trench Truth (Окопной правды). Dimanstein played a significant role during the BolshevikBolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in 1917. He was appointed a head of Yevsektsiya
Yevsektsiya
Yevsektsiya , , the abbreviation of the phrase "Еврейская секция" was the Jewish section of the Soviet Communist party. Yevsektsiya was established to popularize Marxism and encourage loyalty to the Soviet regime among Russian Jews. The founding conference of Yevsektsiya took place on October 20,...
in January 1918.
In 1920 Dimanstein was sent to Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
People's Soviet Republic where he established Soviet institutions and supported creation of a local Party-approved elite. In 1922-1924 Dimanstein worked in the Agitation
Agitator
An agitator is a person who actively supports some ideology or movement with speeches and especially actions. The Agitators were a political movement as well as elected representatives of soldiers, including the New Model Army of Oliver Cromwell, during the English Civil War. They were also known...
Department of Ukraine.
In 1924 he returned to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
where he headed different propaganda departments whose objectives were to spread Soviet ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
among non-Russian peoples. Dimanstein was an editor of New East and Revolution and Nationality. He was a steady supporter of Stalin's policies
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
. His last appointment was as head of the Central Committee of OZET
OZET
OZET was public Society for Settling Toiling Jews on the Land in the Soviet Union in the period from 1925 to 1938. Some English sources use the word "Working" instead of "Toiling".- Background :...
. He was also editor of the Yiddish language newspaper Der Emes' (The Truth)'.
Semyon Dimanstein advocated the establishment of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Jewish Autonomous Oblast
The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated in the Russian Far East, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan....
the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. In 1930 he was against the collectivization of Jewish settlements in Jewish national districts
Komzet
Komzet was the Committee for the Settlement of Toiling Jews on the Land in the Soviet Union. The primary goal of the Komzet was to help impoverished and persecuted Jewish population of the former Pale of Settlement to adopt agricultural labor...
of Southern 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...
and Northern Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. In 1935 Dimanstein was an editor of a propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
book entitled Yidn in FSSR (Jews in the Soviet Union). From October 1936, Dimanstein was one of the editors of Forpost, a newspaper in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast's capital city of Birobidzhan
Birobidzhan
Birobidzhan is a town and the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Trans-Siberian railway, close to the border with the People's Republic of China....
.
Death
On 21 February 1938 Dimanstein was arrested. He received a death sentenceDeath Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
on 20 August 1938 and was executed. He was rehabilitated posthumously on 13 August 1955, two years after the death of Stalin.