Minsk Jews After the Holocaust in the Last Decade of Stalin’s Rule (1944–1953)

This article discusses the challenges faced by Jews in the capital of Belarus after the end of the Nazi occupation. On one hand, Jews struggled to adapt to peaceful life in places marked by their personal tragedies during the Holocaust. On the other hand, they suffered antisemitism in the late Stalinist period, facing restrictions from both the state and discrimination from ordinary city residents who believed the Soviet propaganda. Jews sought different survival strategies to become “their own” in society. Some chose to “wear a mask”, while others remained committed to their Jewish identity.