A 'Last Address' memorial plaque has been dedicated in Moscow to the Jewish writer David Bergelson

On November 10, three "Last Address" memorial plaques were installed on the Moscow "House of Writers" at 17 Lavrushinsky Lane. The plaques commemorate: David Bergelson, a Jewish writer and member of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC), executed on August 12, 1952, on charges of "high treason"; Stanislaw Ryszard Stande, a Polish poet, executed on November 1, 1937, on charges of "espionage"; and Viktor Pavlovich Surovikin (Kin), a writer and journalist executed on April 21, 1938, on charges of "participation in a counter-revolutionary terrorist organization."

David Bergelson lived in Berlin until the late 1920s, after which he relocated to the USSR to pursue his career as a Soviet Jewish writer.  He authored "Step by Step," a book dedicated to Jewish life in the USSR, and the novel "At the Dnieper," which served as the first historical and revolutionary epic in Jewish literature based on the events of 1905 and subsequent years.

Shortly after the outbreak of the war between the USSR and Germany, an initiative arose to establish several public organizations to assist the Soviet Union in securing victory. One such organization was the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC), which comprised prominent public figures, politicians, scientists, physicians, and cultural figures. Solomon Mikhoels assumed the chairmanship of the committee, while David Bergelson joined its presidium. Following the end of the war, a comprehensive anti-Semitic campaign was initiated in the USSR at the instigation of Stalin. Mikhoels was assassinated in Minsk on January 12, 1948. Just a few days prior, on January 8, he was rehearsing the play "Prince Reubeni" at his theater in Moscow, written by David Bergelson based on Max Brod's novel "Reubeni, Prince of the Jews."

On January 23, 1949, Bergelson was arrested, and on August 12, 1952, he was executed alongside other members of the JAC.

For further information regarding David Bergelson, Stanislaw Ryszard Stande, and Viktor Surovikin (Kin), please visit the "Last Address" project website.

Read more about the repression of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee here

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress has submitted several additional applications for the installation of memorial plaques in memory of the members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee. Several memorial plaques are scheduled for installation late this year.

The installation of "Last Address" memorial plaques is part of a program dedicated to honoring the memory of the members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC).

On December 21, 2019, the Fomenko Workshop Theater in Moscow will host "The Unquenchable Lamp," a charity concert featuring the renowned pianist Evgeny Kissin and the theater and film actor, director, screenwriter, and writer Veniamin Smekhov. The concert will be dedicated to the memory of the victims of the anti-Semitic campaign—specifically the members and employees of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee.

Tickets are available for purchase here.

Specifically for the concert, the State GULAG History Museum will release the book "The Unquenchable Lamp," which documents the anti-Semitic campaign and the fates of the JAC members.

From December 16, 2019, to July 2020, International Memorial will host the exhibition "Bromberg's Violin: Victims of Anti-Jewish Campaigns in the USSR in the 1920s–1950s," organized with the support of the Russian Jewish Congress. The central theme of the exhibition is persecution based on actual or perceived affiliation with Jewish religious, cultural, and political organizations. The exhibition will feature unique materials sourced from archive, museum, and library collections.