The Perpetual Threat of Gentile Violence

The hostile world of crosses, pogroms, and blood libels that defined Jewish childhood in Polotzk.

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Vanka's Spittle

Vanka's Spittle The Gentile Boy Vanka threw mud, then spat, at Mary. Her mother explained that Vanka was a Gentile and the Gentiles did as they liked with Jews. The Weather of Hatred The third time Mary wiped her face and thought nothing at all. She accepted ill-usage like weather. The Unanswered Why A moment came when she asked why and had no words for the answer. Hatred was ignorance.

The Procession of the Cross

The Procession of the Cross Locked Shutters On a Christian holiday the Jews were warned to stay indoors. Gates were locked and shutters barred, and children peeped through cracks. The Relic and the Mob Priests carried crosses, banners, and a casket with a relic. Soldiers and police lined the streets against a possible pogrom. The Terror of Baptism Mary imagined being torn in pieces or baptized. Drowning in the Dvina seemed better than touching the cross.

Stories of Pogroms

Stories of Pogroms The Wounds That Came to Polotzk Maimed survivors came to Polotzk with stories of babies torn apart and houses burned. People who saw such things never smiled again. The Priest with the Cross The mob was often led by a priest carrying a cross. The cross was the excuse for cruelty. The Fear in Dark Corners Mary hid in corners, imagining the tortures of a pogrom. The cruel cross haunted her dreams.

The Blood Libel at Passover

The Blood Libel at Passover The Wicked Lie Gentiles said Jews used the blood of murdered Christian children at Passover. Mary knew every detail of the festival and knew the accusation was false. Russia as Another Egypt While Jews celebrated deliverance from Egypt, their neighbors prepared pogroms. The holy days were the most dangerous of the year. The Child's Knowledge The youngest child knew how Passover was kept. The lie was a weapon of persecution.

The Legacy of the Soldiers of Nicholas

The Legacy of the Soldiers of Nicholas The Kidnapped Boys Under Nicholas I, Jewish boys were snatched from their mothers and raised for the army. Priests tortured them to convert them. The Unbaptized Heroes Some endured flogging, starvation, and bribes and still refused baptism. They came back broken men with the Shema still on their lips. The White Church's Shadow The white church in the square terrified Mary. The soldiers of Nicholas proved that the cross and the Czar were one enemy.

early childhood in Polotzk

a Christian holiday in Polotzk

throughout Mary's early childhood

Passover seasons in the Pale

stories told when Mary was a little girl