The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 8, Number 3, Spring 2020 | Page 46

The Saber
rative of the War was masterfully used
by the authorities for the formation of a
unifying Soviet identity.” 2
When Stalin died in 1953,
Khrushchev’s anti-Semitic policies
grew more discreet compared to Stalin’s
tactic of overt physical and propagandist
assault. “Although the worst excesses
subsided after the death of Stalin ...
the inhibitions, taboos, and distortions
regarding ‘Jewish’ matters lingered for
decades in the Soviet Union.” 3 This
era of the Soviet suppression of Jewish
suffering formed a gap in Holocaust
discourse (especially in comparison
to the West) and developed a tainted
legacy. Understanding how and why it
happened can not only lead to a better
understanding of Soviet policy, but also
help form a concerted effort to fill in the
gap it left.
Concentration Camps
in Question
Auschwitz, Treblinka, Bełżec,
Sobibór, and Majdanek were in
Nazi-occupied territory until
their liberation. Treblinka, Bełżec, and
Sobibór were the manifestation of the
Operation Reinhard objectives: initially
prisoners (e.g., Poles and communist
political prisoners) would be sent to
work in an effort to bolster the intended
economic colonization of the territory
in and around Poland, but these camps
very quickly took on the role of killing
centers. From the Nazi perspective, Reichsführer-SS
Himmler was “careful not
to issue written orders on the extermination
of the Jews … for fear of the verdict
of history. [Verbal orders alone set]
2