Tag #128863 - Interview #78778 (simon rapoport)

In 1948 persecution of Jews commenced in the USSR. It started with the campaign against cosmopolitans [34], and in January 1953 there was the Doctors' Plot' [35]. We learned about that from newspapers. We were untouched for the reason that Subbotin, the first secretary of the regional party committee in our area, was a smart man. When the Doctors' Plot commenced the NKVD commissar asked whether the only Jewish doctor, who worked as a venerologist in the local hospital, should be fired. Subbotin replied diplomatically: 'Let us wait.' If there were a direct order from Moscow to fire all Jews, he would have to fulfill it. Since there were no directives like that, the Jew kept on working as a venerologist in the hospital until Stalin's death.