Skip to main content

A Traveler's Impressions of the Molotschna, 1927

In November 1927, Susanna Toews of Ohrloff, Molotschna wrote to her brother Gerhard in Canada, "Father is sleeping and the sisters are reading, even though they have read the stuff ten times. . .. Twice a week we get Das Neue Dorf. We read the most important material the first evening and then father reads the rest of it the next day" (note 1).

A youth in Friedensruh, Molotschna reported to the communist youth paper Die Saat in 1928, that their village receives 13 copies of Das Neue Dorf, 6 copies of Die Saat, one of the Moscow-based Deutsche Zentral-Zeitung, 16 copies of Die Trompete, 2 copies of Neuland, and some Russian papers as well. On average, 2 papers per household--all communist papers.

A Mennonite-based monthly agricultural journal, “The Practical Agriculturalist” (Der praktische Landwirt) had been approved for publication in Ukraine in 1924 but was shut down in December 1926. Government authorities in Ukraine were exasperated to see a “significant anti-Soviet religious periodical” and “widely popular” Mennonite church or faith-oriented paper Unser Blatt (“Our Paper”) had been approved in Russia for publication in October 1925 and was made available in Ukraine. It was shut down in 1928 (note 2).

In 1925 Das Neue Dorf--or "new village" --was created out of two smaller Bolshevik /Communist Party papers in Ukraine/Crimea and published twice-weekly. It was the “organ for the Bolshevik Party” designed for German villages of southern Ukraine. The Central Bureau of the German Section of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Ukraine used the paper to address their on-going “Mennonite problem” and directed it on occasion to create pointed articles, such as: “What the Soviet power accomplished for Mennonites following the Civil War,” etc. Rural correspondents were explicitly directed to strengthen “supervision of abuses,” typically by publicly embarrassing former leaders with wealth or a connection to the church in almost every issue. Cartoons helped to get the message across, as did unsigned letters to the editors (see related post, note 3). But it also supported the official ethnic German cultural developments in officially German districts, advocated for sufficient land for the districts, and offered suggestions for a smoother transition and development to the new political environment.

One of the more measured articles is a type of travelogue through the Molotschna in 1927 (note 4); while it is only signed with the initials of the author (“H.R.”), he appears to be a fellow Low German Mennonite and Communist Party activist.

It is a longer article; here are some excerpts:

“About ten kilometers from [Rudnerweide] lies the village of Gnadenfeld. Here land division is now being carried out. It turned out that some land was being “hidden” [from the surveyor by those wanting to farm more land]. "Didn't you know?" asked the surveyor reproachfully. Everyone was silent at this question. The land share for each farmstead is 16 to 32 desiatina [17 to 34 hectare], yet some are without any land at all. For example, citizen H.D., who is a very hard-working farmer, has nothing except a pair of horses and wagons; he is a native of Gnadenfeld yet nevertheless has to lease some land from year to year.

Wernersdorf is just a small village. It is said that the people here are also poor, although today some farmsteads already look quite prosperous. Everything goes its daily course. Over the last year there have been only two incidents about which the good people of Wernersdorf became a bit disturbed. That was when the land surveyor was to come—this led to some "inconveniences" similar to those in Gnadenfeld, and then also when a new chairman of the village council was finally elected.

The former, they say, was an otherwise good man, but very forgetful in matters concerning the community or individual citizens. On every trip to Halbstadt he especially loved to stop in Tokmak on the way to look deeply into the schnapps glass. This did not suit the citizens of Wernersdorf in the long run, and it is firmly hoped that his successor, a former Red Army soldier, will do things better.

Wernersdorf is situated on the river. On the other side of the bank there is a Russian village. The relationship between the Germans and Russians is not very good. The Russian side often threatens with Makhno [anarchist leader], once they even said: "Makhno will be there in three days and then we will make an end with you Germans." Often there is stealing from the Germans, and the trail almost always leads to the Russian side. A direct hostility is palpable. The Germans do not look at the Russians like they do at their own kind, but from above down: "That's just a Russian."

Of course, a lot of ideological education (Aufklärungsarbeit) is needed here. The Halbstadt District should also contact the surrounding Russian districts and lead this work from both sides. National [ethnic] discord must not be tolerated under any circumstances. Festivals in honour of the Revolution could be celebrated together, meetings and gatherings could be held where German and Russian speakers would appear. Schools could also make joint excursions. The German farmers must show more good will towards Russian farmers, and help them with good advice, because the German understands farming here better. Many more suggestions could be made. It is not an easy task that stands before the district, but it must be solved and a rapprochement--more harmony between the German and Russian population--must be the goal.

The ethnic German schools in the district still leave a lot to be desired. There is still a great lack of German books and guides for the teachers. The material situation of the teachers is still weak. Particularly difficult and time-consuming for teachers is the filling out of the most diverse forms, lists and papers, which are sometimes sent by the rayon in heaps in the Ukrainian language (in German rayon) which are sent by the rayon sometimes in heaps.

The cooperative functions better now than it did when the [Mennonite led] "Union of Citizens of Dutch Origin" was in charge [notice the spin-ANF]. The latter, through its mismanagement, caused tangible damage to many a German farmer. It is only in the present situation that the individual German cooperatives have the opportunity to develop. The demand for goods is great. Comrade “A.,” who heads the cooperative in Pordenau, said that the necessary goods are not always available in Melitopol. People are forced to travel further to buy goods, which, of course, unnecessarily increases the cooperative's expenses. More attention should be paid to the German cooperatives, which are still weak thanks to the previous mismanagement, and they should be better served in Raysojus in Melitopol.

Ideological education is weak. One cannot find a proper reading hall in any village, i.e., where one can get hold of a German book or newspaper. Young people spend most of their free time in the streets. The district party committee should pay more attention to this matter and find ways and means to get closer to the German population. The Party Committee is hardly known in German villages; many do not even know that it exists. If you ask a German farmer about it, he will say: Well, is there something like that in Halbstadt, too?"

Moreover, in many villages there is not a single Komsomol- or party member. This, of course, makes the work exceptionally difficult, but nevertheless, there could be a somewhat closer connection between the German farmers and the party organization.

The church still plays an important role in these villages today. Like everyone else, the Mennonite enjoys complete freedom of faith. But even the sturdy walls of the Mennonite church (Bethaus) sometimes sway quite noticeably. You can see it in the apparently small things. "Did you go to Sunday school today?" a strict father asks his son. "No, I was playing," comes the reply. "There were only girls and two of the very youngest boys." The church in G. [Gnadenfeld] is to be renovated, but the money does not come in; the farmer knows better and invests in his farm instead. The question of conscientious objection is discussed and already there are young people who do not want to renounce the honour of carrying a weapon on behalf of the state of the working class.

The harvest has turned out quite well this year. Winter cereals were mostly good, while the summer cereals in places was very weak. The present winter sowing gives hope for the coming year.

One does not like to leave such a beautiful region. We hope that the German village, the German district, will continue to take an active part in the Soviet construction and serve as a model. H.R.”

            ---Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

---Notes---

Note 1: John B. Toews, trans. and ed., Letters from Susan: A Woman’s View of the Russian Mennonite Experience, 1928–1941 (North Newton, KS: Bethel College, 1988), 22f. https://mla.bethelks.edu/books/wedel_series/letters_from_susan.pdf.

Note 2: See GAMEO: https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Unser_Blatt_(1925-1928)(Periodical); AND https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Allrussischer_Mennonitischer_Landwirtschaftlicher_Verein. Most issues available at: https://chortitza.org/DPL.htm, AND https://chortitza.org/ZUB.htm.

Note 3: Related posts: https://russianmennonites.blogspot.com/2023/02/agitation-propaganda-and-strategies-of.html, AND (forthcoming).

Note 4: "Reiseeindrücke (Halbstädter Rayon, Kreis Melitopol)," Das Neue Dorf no. 19, 165 (1927), 3. https://martin-opitz-bibliothDek.de/de/elektronischer-lesesaal?action=book&bookId=via000095#lg=1&slide=0. My translation.

Print Friendly and PDF
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Jewish Colony (Judenplan) and its Mennonite Agriculturalists

Both Jews and Mennonites in Russia were dependent on separation, distinct external appearance, unique dialect, inner group cohesion, international familial networks, self-governing institutions, a sojourner mentality, sense of divine mission, and a view of the other as unclean or dangerous. Each had its distinct legal privileges, restrictions, and duties under the Tsar, and each looked out for their own. For both, moderation, spiritual values, family, learning and success were important, and their related dialects made communication possible. But the traditional occupation of eastern European Jews was as “middlemen” between the “overwhelmingly agricultural Christian population and various urban markets,” as peddlers, shopkeepers and suppliers of goods ( note 1 ). Jews were forbidden to stay for longer periods in German colonies or to erect houses or shops there. “If they try to stay, they are to be reported immediately. If they are not, the German mayor will be held responsible” ( no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shaky Beginings as a Faith Community

With basic physical needs addressed, in 1805 Chortitza pioneers were ready to recover their religious roots and to pass on a faith identity. They requested a copy of Menno Simons’ writings from the Danzig mother-church especially for the young adults, “who know only what they hear,” and because “occasionally we are asked about the founder whose name our religion bears” ( note 1 ). The Anabaptist identity of this generation—despite the strong Mennonite publications in Prussia in the late eighteenth century—was uninformed and very thin. Settlers first arrived in Russia 1788-89 without ministers or elders. Settlers had to be content with sharing Bible reflections in Low German dialect or a “service that consisted of singing one song and a sermon that was read from a book of sermons” written by the recently deceased East Prussian Mennonite elder Isaac Kroeker ( note 2 ). In the first months of settlement, Chortitza Mennonites wrote church leaders in Prussia:  “We cordially plead ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Russia: A Refuge for all True Christians Living in the Last Days

If only it were so. It was not only a fringe group of Russian Mennonites who believed that they were living the Last Days. This view was widely shared--though rejected by the minority conservative Kleine Gemeinde. In 1820 upon the recommendation of Rudnerweide (Frisian) Elder Franz Görz, the progressive and influential Mennonite leader Johann Cornies asked the Mennonite Tobias Voth (b. 1791) of Graudenz, Prussia to come and lead his Agricultural Association’s private high school in Ohrloff, in the Russian Mennonite colony of Molotschna. Voth understood this as nothing less than a divine call upon his life ( note 1; pic 3 ). In Ohrloff Voth grew not only a secondary school, but also a community lending library, book clubs, as well as mission prayer meetings, and Bible study evenings. Voth was the son of a Mennonite minister and his wife was raised Lutheran ( note 2 ). For some years, Voth had been strongly influenced by the warm, Pietist devotional fiction writings of Johann Heinrich Ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fraktur (or Gothic) font and Kurrent- (or Sütterlin) handwriting: Nazi ban, 1941

In the middle of the war on January 1, 1942, the Winnipeg-based Mennonitische Rundschau published a new issue without the familiar Fraktur script masthead ( note 1 ). One might speculate on the reasons, but a year earlier Hitler banned the use of the font in the Reich . The Rundschau did not exactly follow all orders from Berlin—the rest of the paper was in Fraktur (sometimes referred to as "Gothic"); when the war ended in 1945, the Rundschau reintroduced the Fraktur font for its masthead. It wasn’t until the 1960s that an issue might have a page or title here or there with the “normal” or Latin font, even though post-war Germany was no longer using Fraktur . By 1973 only the Rundschau masthead is left in Fraktur , and that is only removed in December 1992. Attached is a copy of Nazi Party Secretary Martin Bormann's official letter dated January 3, 1941, which prohibited the use of Fraktur fonts "by order of the Führer. " Why? It was a Jewish invention, apparent...
1 comment
Read more

Why study and write about Russian Mennonite history?

David G. Rempel’s credentials as an historian of the Russian Mennonite story are impeccable—he was a mentor to James Urry in the 1980s, for example, which says it all. In 1974 Rempel wrote an article on Mennonite historical work for an issue of the Mennonite Quarterly Review commemorating the arrival of Russian Mennonites to North America 100 years earlier ( note 1). In one section of the essay Rempel reflected on Mennonites’ general “lack of interest in their history,” and why they were so “exceedingly slow” in reflecting on their historic development in Russia with so little scholarly rigour. Rempel noted that he was not alone in this observation; some prominent Mennonites of his generation who had noted the same pointed an “extreme spirit of individualism” among Mennonites in Russia; the absence of Mennonite “authoritative voices,” both in and outside the church; the “relative indifference” of Mennonites to the past; “intellectual laziness” among many who do not wish to be distu...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is the Church to Say? Letter 4 (of 4) to American Mennonite Friends

Irony is used in this post to provoke and invite critical thought; the historical research on the Mennonite experience is accurate and carefully considered. ~ANF Preparing for your next AGM: Mennonite Congregations and Deportations Many U.S. Mennonite pastors voted for Donald Trump, whose signature promise was an immediate start to “the largest deportation operation in American history.” Confirmed this week, President Trump will declare a national emergency and deploy military assets to carry this out. The timing is ideal; in January many Mennonite congregations have their Annual General Meeting (AGM) with opportunity to review and update the bylaws of their constitution. Need help? We have related examples from our tradition, which I offer as a template, together with a few red flags. First, your congregational by-laws.  It is unlikely you have undocumented immigrants in your congregation, but you should flag this. Model: Gustav Reimer, a deacon and notary public from the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Between Monarchs" a lot can happen (like revolt). A Mennonite "Accession" Prayer for the Monarch

It is surprising for many to learn that Russian Mennonites sang the Russian national anthem "God save the Tsar" in special worship services ... frequently! We have a "Mennonite prayer" and sermon sample for the accession of the monarch ( Thronbesteigung ) or its anniversary, with closing prayer-- and another Mennonite sampler of a coronation ( Krönung ) prayer, sermon and closing prayer ( note 1 ). After 70 years with one monarch, the manual is made for a time like this--try sharing it with your Canadian Mennonite pastor ;) Technically there is no “between” monarchs: “The Queen is Dead. Long live the King!” But there is much that happens or can happen before the coronation of the new monarch. Including revolt. Mennonites in Molotschna had hosted Tsar Alexander I shortly before his death in 1825. Upon his death in December, Alexander's brother and heir Constantine declined succession, and prior to the coronation of the next brother Nicholas, some 3,000 rebel (mos...
Post a Comment
Read more

Flight from Flanders to Friesland

In the latter half of the sixteenth century Protestantism gradually spread throughout the northern Netherlands in the form of Calvinism—which had a direct impact on Anabaptists. When the Northern Provinces of the Netherlands led by the exiled Protestant Prince William of Orange went to war against Spain in 1568, persecution of Anabaptists in Catholic Flanders increased again. Long before the Protestant Northern Provinces would declare independence in 1581, the inquisition against Anabaptists in Bruges, for example, had achieved its goal. With the last two Anabaptist executions in the city in 1573, the once large and thriving Mennonite congregation was extinguished. Subsequently Mennonites lived in Bruges only on rare occasions, and when present, for only a short time, as for example the well-known art historian Karel van Mander in 1582 ( note 1 ). In the Northern Provinces Calvinism had become attractive theologically and politically. Not only was Christian resistance to tyrannical gov...
Post a Comment
Read more

Non-Resistant Service: Forestry Camps

The 1902 photos are of the Mennonite Crimean Forestry ( Forstei ) “Commando” in the vineyards and orchards of southern Crimea on route to Yalta (" Gut [estate] Forroß";  note 1). The tasks for the units or commandos were to plant forests, lay out nurseries, and raise model orchards—work not directly or meaningfully connected to non-resistance, but deemed by the state as an acceptable alternative to state or military service. This non-combatant, alternative service program was the largest, most expensive and most formative, faith-based undertaking by Mennonites during the Mennonite "golden era" in Russia ( note 2 ). The first cohort of young men were chosen and sent for their term of alternative service in 1880: “On November 15 [1880] in Tokmak the first German youth were chosen [by lot] in the presence of the [Mennonite] district mayor and also of Elder A. Goerz. There, with singing and prayer, they beseeched the Lord for His mercy, which interested the Russian ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Formidable Fräulein Marga Bräul (1919–2011)

Fräulein Bräul left an indelible mark on two generations of high school students in the Mennonite Colony of Fernheim, Paraguay. Former students and acquaintances recall that Marga Bräul demanded the highest effort and achievements of her students, colleagues and of herself—the kind of teacher you either love or hate but will never forget! In March 1947, Marga was offered a position at the Fernheim Secondary School ( Zentralschule ). A recent refugee to Paraguay from war-torn Europe, she taught mathematics, physics, and chemistry. In 1952, she was the only female faculty member ( note 1 ). Marga wedded a strong commitment to academics with a passion for quality arts and crafts. She provided extensive extra-curricular instruction to students in handiwork and was especially renowned for her artwork—which included painting and woodworking— end of year art exhibits with students, theatre sets, and festival decorations. Marga’s pedagogical philosophy was holistic; she told Mennonite ed...
Post a Comment
Read more