Вильнюсское "дело валютчиков" 1962 г.: антисемитизм в советской Литве

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Antisemitizmas; Antisemitinė politika; Sovietų režimas; Antisemitism; Anti-semitism in Lithuania; Soviet regime.

ENThe case of Vilnius currency speculators was related to criminal trials of currency exchange profiteers in the Soviet Union. This case was pictured as a part of USSR anti-Semitic politics in the historiography data. That statement could be confirmed by the fact that the accused ones were predominantly Jewish. The trial process of “Vilnius currency speculators” was in 1962, January 30th to March 22nd, which ended when the verdict was announced. In a trial of the Lithuanian SSR Supreme Court eight Jews were accused for speculating the currency. During the trial process, the Soviet Lithuanian press sought to convince the public that speculators, the “villains”, were Jewish. Therefore, together with the accused people‘s Russian names and surnames, journalists used to add previous “Jewish like” names (after Stalin‘s combat against “cosmopolitans and Zionists”, among Jews, there was a practise to change surnames of Jewish origin to Russian origin). In this way, the aim was to create an image that Jews are responsible for speculating the currency in the country as well as to manipulate the public opinion and mobilize this formed opinion against the “Jews — the Currency Speculators”. Using this aggressive rhetoric about the common enemies of Soviet citizens, it was sought to arouse people’s negative emotions towards alleged enemies and convince them with the world of socialist justice. Hereby, this judicial process contributed to the Soviet propaganda and its aspiration to create the model of ideal Soviet person. This propaganda was a powerful instrument of mass control and social tension deflection, especially after unsuccessful Nikita Khrushchev agro reforms. Soviet system avoided public dissatisfaction, hence they invoked the concept of “Jewish-Scapegoat”. [...]. [lvb.lt]