Soosan Khanoom

Stalin, a few answers to a few questions ....

If you are interested to know if Stalin was born Jewish or not, I can refer you to a book which I read a few years ago. It is called, " Young Stalin ".  The author, Simon Sebag Montefiore, who is a well known Jewish Historian brings up the idea of Stalin being Jewish. This historian points out to the identity of a man whom could have been Stalin's biological father.

There are several historical direct quotes provided in this book from both Stalin's mother and her husband (referred to as the Stalin's alcoholic father by the Biographers). Based on those quotes, author suggests that Stalin was born out of wedlock. The man whom this author is suggesting to be his real father was a well known wealthy Jewish man whom Stalin's mother used to work for.  

Wives,mistress and numerous other Jewish women in Stalin's life: 

The above author has another book called “Stalin: Court of the Red Star” which basically covers Stalin's later years in life. There, among many other things, he points out to the women of his life, almost all, according to the author, were Jewish.  If you also take a look at the book "Why Didn't Stalin Murder All the Jews", written by a Jewish scientists interested in the history, you can find out about some reasons behind Stalin's interest in the Jewish women. Women whom most had strong political views.   In this book the author calls Stalin an Anti-Semitic similar to Hitler. Author talks about the Holocaust that did not get a chance to be finished. According to the author it was the politics that forced Stalin to let most Jews leave Russia. So, Stalin by no chance was a Jewish sympathizer.  

I have already mentioned the one major reason that made Russia to be among the first nation accepting Israel legitimacy; something that had nothing to do with him being Jewish or not or even being a Jewish sympathizer. As we know, he had no religion and we have seen what he did with all the major religions in Russia regardless.

Let me also point out that, blaming Jews for creation of Russian Communism is like to blame muslims for Saddam's crimes or Christians for Hitler's crimes.  

Who was wife # 3?     

Her name was Rosa Kaganovich. She was Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich ( Lazar Kaganovich ) sister . She had two brothers actively involved in the communist party in Russia.  "Rosa Kaganovich  first lived with Stalin, then after the suicide of his second wife it has been said that he married to Stalin" Life - July 14, 1941. 

When it comes to Stalin, unlike Lenin, there are many things that one may find questionable about Stalin. That is why, perhaps, there are too many contradicting info on Stalin himself, his wives, etc. It could be due to the complete censorship of the media which was done more exentsively than the Lenin's era. But a few things have surfaced again after the death of Stalin and later after the fall of Communism which have proven many historians wrong.  Still, when it comes to history, I personally think we may never be able to hear the absolute truth. After all, "History is written by the victors".  

It is true that I am interested in history, but that was not the main reason that I got my hands on the book " Young Stalin " It was, actually, my interest in poetry that introduced me to this book ... believe it or not Stalin was a poet.   I first found out about the author and the book by reading a review in the book section of New York times...then I said to myself.. WOW .. Stalin was a poet !! I had no idea !! 

Drifts across the vaults of the sky
And tit light, shining out,
Begins to play on the azure horizon;

When the nightingale’s whistling song
Starts to twitter softly in the air
When the yearning of the panpipe
Glides over the mountain peak;

When the mountain spring damned up,
Once more sweeps the path away and gushes,
And the forest, woken by the breeze,
Begins to toss and rustle;

When the man drive out by his enemy
Again becomes worthy of his oppressed country
And when the sick man, deprived of light,
Again begins to see sun and moon;

Then I too, oppressed, find the mist of sadness
Breaks and lifts and instantly recedes;
And hopes for the good life
Unfold in my unhappy heart!

And carried away by this hope.
I find my soul rejoicing, my heart beats peacefully;
But is this hope genuine
That has been sent me at these times?

J.V. Stalin (Soselo)

I can not read this poem not thinking of what stalin asked her mother later in his life. Which, also, is mentioned in the book " young Stalin ",  "Why you had beaten me so much" His mother replied, “It didn’t do you any harm.”  

Well, it did, both him and the world, a big harm. Although, I can not use his upbringing as an excuse for what he did to the humanity, but, this sad reality can not be totally dismissed either. Otherwise, how can an intelligent man such as Stalin who has also been a published poet of ideal promises can become such a cold hearted- murderer. 

I finsih this blog of mine with a poem by D. Randell which I posted long time ago on my other blog " Favorite Poems" 

HSK

A poet is not a jukebox, so don’t tell me what to write. 

I read a dear friend a poem about love, and she said, 

“You’re in to that bag now, for whatever it’s worth, 

But why don’t you write about the riot in Miami?” 

I didn’t write about Miami because I didn’t know about Miami. 

I’ve been so busy working for the Census, and listening to music all night, 

and making new poems 

That I’ve broken my habit of watching TV and reading newspapers. 

So it wasn’t absence of Black Pride that caused me not to write about Miami, 

But simple ignorance. 

Telling a Black poet what he ought to write 

Is like some Commissar of Culture in Russia telling a poet 

He’d better write about the new steel furnaces in the Novobigorsk region, 

Or the heroic feats of Soviet labor in digging the trans-Caucausus Canal, 

Or the unprecedented achievement of workers in the sugar beet industry 

who exceeded their quota by 400 percent (it was later discovered to 

be a typist’s error). 

Maybe the Russian poet is watching his mother die of cancer, 

Or is bleeding from an unhappy love affair, 

Or is bursting with happiness and wants to sing of wine, roses, and nightingales. 

I’ll bet that in a hundred years the poems the Russian people will read, sing and love 

Will be the poems about his mother’s death, his unfaithful mistress, or his 

wine, roses and nightingales, 

Not the poems about steel furnaces, the trans-Caucasus Canal, or the sugar 

beet industry. 

A poet writes about what he feels, what agitates his heart and sets his pen in motion. 

Not what some apparatchnik dictates, to promote his own career or theories. 

Yeah, maybe I’ll write about Miami, as I wrote about Birmingham, 

But it’ll be because I want to write about Miami, not because somebody 

says I ought to. 

Yeah, I write about love.  What’s wrong with love? 

If we had more loving, we’d have more Black babies to become Black brothers and 

sisters and build the Black family. 

When people love, they bathe with sweet-smelling soap, splash their bodies 

with perfume or cologne, 

Shave, and comb their hair, and put on gleaming silken garments, 

Speak softly and kindly and study their beloved to anticipate and satisfy her 

every desire. 

After loving they’re relaxed and happy and friends with all the world. 

What’s wrong with love, beauty, joy and peace? 

If Josephine had given Napoleon more loving, he wouldn’t have sown the 

meadows of Europe with skulls. 

If Hitler had been happy in love, he wouldn’t have baked people in ovens. 

So don’t tell me it’s trivial and a cop-out to write about love and not about Miami.

A poet is not a jukebox. 

A poet is not a jukebox. 

I repeat, A poet is not a jukebox for someone to shove a quarter in his ear 

and get the tune they want to hear, 

Or to pat on the head and call “a good little Revolutionary,” 

Or to give a Kuumba Liberation Award. 

A poet is not a jukebox. 

A poet is not a jukebox. 

A poet is not a jukebox. 

So don’t tell me what to write.