Language:
English
Year of publication:
1989
Titel der Quelle:
Religion in Communist Lands
Angaben zur Quelle:
17,1 (1989) 34-44
Keywords:
Antisemitism
;
Antisemitism in literature
;
Russian literature History and criticism
;
Jews in literature
;
Judaism in literature
Abstract:
From the 1970s, the Soviet government's policy of promoting anti-Jewish propaganda in fiction was exploited by various groups, among them Russian nationalists. The nationalist revival led to an attraction to the Orthodox Church, but the nationalists' antisemitism makes relations with Christianity problematic. The "Russist" trend solved the problem by adoption of "the true creed of the Rus people" - paganism. Thus, the historical novelist Valentin Pikul, in his work of the 1970s, depicts both corrupt Jews and priests as enemies of Russia. The Russian Party, however, regards Jews as foreigners, continuing the conflict from the 19th century between Slavophiles and Westernizers. The works of Feliks Svetov, a converted Jew, show the difficulties of a Jew ignorant of both the Jewish and the Christian traditions faced with Orthodox anti-Judaism and rejection by Christians. Concludes with the hope that open expression of hostile feelings by Russian nationalists will eventually lead to a search for understanding between Christians and Jews.
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