In Search of a Country: Russian Mennonite Self-Presentation to President of Mexico 1921

At the time of greatest need for Mennonites in Russia, they were classified as "undesirables" by the Canadian government (1919):

“… because, owing to their peculiar customs, habits, modes of living and methods of holding property, they are not likely to become readily assimilated or to assume the duties and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship within a reasonable time.” (Note 1)

The United States had a “national origins quoto,” which also closed the door to all but a few born in eastern or southern Europe; a letter to the American President met with no success.

Nonetheless, in 1921 Russian Mennonite “study commissioners” A. A. Friesen, Βenjamin Η. Unruh, C. H. Warkentin were charged to explore all options.

Below is a copy of the May 1921 letter sent to the the President of Mexico via the Minister of Fomento (note 2). The letter captures the constructed Russian Mennonite self-identity at this point of loss and trauma. This was their "pitch":

Their ancestors are largely Dutch, the post-world-war letter states, and they belong to those Protestant groups that seek to recover the ideal of ancient Christian simplicity and purity in doctrine and life.
They are non-resistant, and hold fast to the principle of preserving human life, not destroying it.
Wherever Russian Mennonites have settled, they have raised the material prosperity of the surrounding peoples and fortified the foundations of the economy.
By and large they are agriculturalists, who through expert knowledge, diligence, and thrift have always developed model farms as examples to the native population, and have prospered, now owning more than 1.5 million hectares of land.
Russian Mennonites also developed significant manufacturing industries, mills, trading and financial institutions.
In their love of order, sobriety, and loyalty they have always proven to be a state-supporting element.
They are amongst Russia’s most progressive citizens, and have raised and developed the intellectual and cultural life of its people.
Mennonites established 350 village schools, 33 high schools, 1 technical school, 1 school for the deaf, 2 pedagogical schools.
From the start, they placed high value in learning the official language, and developing social-welfare institutions, including plus 8 hospitals, a psychiatric facility, orphanage, and nursing homes.
Russian Mennonites are part of a global faith family, and are supported financially and with advice by brothers and sisters in The Netherlands, the United States and Canada.

While the above presentation was largely true, their Soviet communist critics—and earlier pan-Slavic detractors—would tell a different story:

Mennonites are German sympathizers—Dutch only when advantageous—and culturally prejudiced against Russians and their language.
They are beneficiaries of colonial privilege, and have exploited the land and their neighbours; simplicity has long ceased to be an ideal.
They are willing to bear arms to protect family and property, but not the nation. Moreover, they are deeply and chronically divided amongst themselves.

This is debatable. Now, however, Mennonites were looking to put their best foot forward.

Within a month of sending the letter to Mexico, Study Commissioner A. A. Friesen received a legal opinion that warned of difficulties ahead with Mexico, should they proceed. “I fear that it contains some requests which if granted would be in direct conflict with existing provisions of the Constitution of 1917,” and if granted “would at once be declared of no effect by the Supreme Court” (note 3).

Mexico however was not the only country under consideration. In these same months Canadian “Old Colony” and “Sommerfelder” "cousins" were also looking for a country that would accommodate in law their requests for military exemption, freedom of worship and their own schooling in the German language. Their delegates to Paraguay in 1921 found conditions in the Chaco suitable in every respect with 6,000,000 acres of available land, and a government already in the process of passing all requested exemptions into law (note 4).

Neighbouring Argentina was also explored and initially considered a favourite by the study commissioners. However after further inquiry Argentina was rejected because of unwavering military service requirements.

South Africa was the other favourite with much good land and, according to A. A. Friesen, its Boers were culturally- and ethnically-related people who shared a language similar to the Mennonite Frisian Low German. Prof. Benjamin H. Unruh had just been in London, and reported that there would be no problems from the perspective of the British government for a massive Mennonite settlement in South Africa. The expected travel costs for delegates of ca. $2,500 per person was somewhat prohibitive (note 5).

With the doors to Canada closed, the only real options seemed to be Paraguay and South Africa—and the latter was the preferred choice. Friesen saw potential for much conflict in working together with the more conservative Old Colony and Sommerfelder Mennonites and, like Unruh, he was convinced of South Africa's advantages:

“Of greater importance than Paraguay seems to me to be South Africa. However, I have no exhaustive material at my disposal. Economically, South Africa is undoubtedly very favorable. The language and racial difficulties would be considerably less than in all Latin American countries; perhaps it would also be possible to join the Boers. The Premier of South Africa, Gen. Smuts, is at present in London. I have asked Unruh to make an attempt to get in touch with Smuts. The investigation of S.Africa would be under all be recommended under all circumstances.” (Note 6)

While pursuing all of the options for a new homeland for Russian Mennonites, there was still faint hope that the Canadian post-war ban on Mennonite immigration (re: non-resistance) might be lifted with the right kind of political pressure and persuasion (note 7). And as we know, that did actually happen with a change of government. The 1919 Canadian Order in Council was rescinded early in 1922.

Expecting that this change was coming, in a highly secretive meeting in Ohrloff, Molotschna on February 7, 1922, Russian Mennonite leaders took a decision to work to remove the entire Mennonite population of some 100,000 people out of the USSR—if at all possible (note 8).

In the end, some 21,000 Mennonites were able to immigrate from the Soviet Union to Canada over the next six years before the Soviet Union closed its door (note 9). Paraguay would again become a real option in 1929/30 and later after World War II with new refugee crises.

---Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

---Notes---

Note 1: Order in Council images below shared by Canadian Senator Peter Harder on Twitter, October 2018.

Note 2: Abram A. Friesen and C. H. Warkentin to the President of Mexico, letter, May 1921. From Mennonite Library and Archives, Bethel College, N. Newton, KS (hereafter MLA-B), https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/037.jpg; and https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/038.jpg; and https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/039.jpg.

Note 3: John L. Brown, to A. Friesen, Hillsboro, KS, June 14, 1921, MLA-B, https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/142.jpg.

Note 4: Alvin Solberg to A. A. Friesen, June 7, 1921, letter, MLA-B, https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/140.jpg; see also Samuel McRoberts to A. A. Friesen, June 13, 1921 [note typo in date], MLA-B, https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/037.jpg. Further correspondence from May to Jue 1921 see MLA-B here: https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/.

Note 5: A. Friesen to W. J. Ewert, letter, May 5, 1921. MLA-B, https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/007.jpg, and https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/008.jpg.

Note 6: A. A. Friesen to W. P. Neufeld, letter, June 30, 1921, MLA-B, https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/123.jpg.

Note 7: A. A. Friesen, to W. J. Ewert, letter, May 29, 1921, MLA-B. https://mla.bethelks.edu/archives/ms_60/folder_11_General_correspondence--May-June_1921/012.jpg.

Note 8: B.B. Janz and Ph. Cornies to Study Commissioners A. A. Friesen, Βenjamin Η. Unruh, C. H. Warkentin; (also) to the General Commission for Foreign Needs of Holland and the American Mennonite Relief, Scottdale, PA, early March 1922. Translated and edited by Harold Bender, “A Russian Mennonite Document of 1922,” Mennonite Quarterly Review 28, no. 2 (April 1954), 143–147; 144f.

Note 9: For next steps in the story, see previous post: https://russianmennonites.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-way-is-finally-openrussian.html; AND https://russianmennonites.blogspot.com/2023/02/immigration-to-canada-1923-background.html; AND https://russianmennonites.blogspot.com/2023/03/german-spies-informants-and-emigration.html.

---

To cite this post: Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, “In Search of a Country: Russian Mennonite Self-Presentation to the President of Mexico 1921,” History of the Russian Mennonites (blog), December 5, 2023, https://russianmennonites.blogspot.com/2023/12/fraktur-or-gothic-font-and-kurrent-or.html.

Comments

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 ...

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...

Mennonite Medical Orderlies in World War I

Russia declared war on Germany on July 20, 1914. Mennonite ministers and civic leaders met on July 22, and called for the extension of their community’s alternative service agreement beyond forestry service: to form complete medical units to gather the wounded from the front and to transport them by hospital trains to interior hospitals; to establish special hospital facilities for the wounded in the colonies; to fundraise large sums for the Red Cross; and to grant financial aid to families of soldiers ( note 1 ). Mennonites knew that they would have to prove their patriotism in positive and tangible ways in order to retain property rights and privileges. Abraham Kröker, editor of the Friedensstimme , wrote just before the start of the war: “Do we not owe it our government and Russian neighbours to show that if a war … broke out, we would be ready to serve the interests of the Fatherland [Russia], and to help the needy?” D. H. Epp, editor of Der Botschafter , wrote: “We need to show ...

Catherine the Great’s 1763 Manifesto

“We must swarm our vast wastelands with people. I do not think that in order to achieve this it would be useful to compel our non-Christians to accept our faith--polygamy for example, is even more useful for the multiplication of the population. … "Russia does not have enough inhabitants, …but still possesses a large expanse of land, which is neither inhabited nor cultivated. … The fields that could nourish the whole nation, barely feeds one family..." – Catherine II (Note 1 ) “We perceive, among other things, that a considerable number of regions are still uncultivated which could easily and advantageously be made available for productive use of population and settlement. Most of the lands hold hidden in their depth an inexhaustible wealth of all kinds of precious ores and metals, and because they are well provided with forests, rivers and lakes, and located close to the sea for purpose of trade, they are also most convenient for the development and growth of many kinds ...

“First Arrival of German Troops in Halbstadt” (Volksfreund, April 20, 1918)

“ April 19, 1918 will always remain significant in the history of the Molotschna German Colony. That which until recently could hardly be imagined has occurred: the German military has arrived to free us from the despotism, rape and pillaging of barbarous people and to reestablish the order and security of life and property--something desperately necessary for our land. For this we give thanks above all to the One in whose hands the peoples and nations and also individuals rest. ...” ( Note 1 ) Mennonites greeted their “guests and liberators” with festivities that included baked goods (Zwieback), meats and even the German anthem “ Deutschland, Deutschland über alles "—all before the watchful eyes of their Russian /Ukrainian neighbours. The troops arrived by train; and to the shock of most present, three bound prisoners—all well-known bandits and terrorists—“were brought out of one of the railway cars without any prior notice, lined up and shot right in front of us” as an exampl...

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...

Flooding and Mennonites: A Common Thread

In November 2021 many Mennonites in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia were impacted by disastrous flooding. The mayor of Abbotsford—the worst-hit city—as well as the local Member of Parliament were Mennonites. Many Mennonites across Canada had family members who are directly impacted. Flood stories have been an important thread in the Prussian-Russian Mennonite story. How have Mennonites responded? Mutual aid stands out. For Menno Simons, it was “the only sign whereby a true Christian may be known” ( note 1 ). In 1562, “Dutch people of the Mennonite religion” were specifically invited by the Polish banking house Loysen to settle on the “Tiegenhoff part of the Vistula Delta” to rebuild dikes partially destroyed by huge floods (1540 and 1543) and wars, and to drain low-lying lagoons and swamps over large blocks of land ( note 2 ). The Tiege River—a branch of the Vistula—was at or below sea level. Dams and ditches along the Nogat and Vistula rivers had been construct...

"Should Holy Baptism be offered to Deaf-Mutes (1886)?”

In 1886 the General Conference of the Mennonite Congregations in Russia (elders and ministers) adopted the following resolution: “A deaf-mute who desires Holy Baptism may be baptized, providing he is not an idiot ( blödsinnig ), and an understanding of baptism is first introduced to him as far as possible” ( note 1 ). A. G. Ambarzumov, a Protestant Armenian who had been trained in Germany and Switzerland for teaching the deaf, started a small initiative in the Mennonite “Molotschna Settlement” in Ukraine/South Russia in the 1870s. After a difficult start, benefactors in the Molotschna embraced the idea of a larger institution for the deaf—the first such institution in South Russia--especially because of the demonstrable results produced in the lives of students. “After only four months, Herr Ambarzumov could demonstrate encouraging results; the students were able to pronounce almost all vowels and consonants and speak and write some words" ( note 2 ). The institution's n...

The Beginnings: Some Basics

The sixteenth-century ancestors of Russian Mennonites were largely Anabaptists from the Low Countries. Because their new vision of church called for voluntary membership marked by adult baptism upon confession of faith, they became one of the most persecuted groups of the Protestant Reformation ( note 1 ). For a millennium re-baptism ( a na -baptism) had been considered a heresy punishable by death ( note 2 ), and again in 1529 the Imperial Diet of Speyer called for the “brutal” punishment for those who did not recognize infant baptism. Many of the earliest Anabaptist cells were found in Belgium and The Netherlands--part of the larger Habsburg Empire ruled after 1555 by “the Most Catholic of Kings,” Philip II of Spain. The North Sea port cities of the Low Countries had some limited freedoms and were places for both commercial and cultural exchange; ships arrived daily not only from other Hanseatic League like Danzig, but also from Florence, Venice and Genoa, the Americas and the Far Ea...

From USSR to Cherrywood Station: Mennonites winter in Markham-Stouffville, 1924

On September 26, 1924, 126 Russian Mennonite passengers disembarked the S. S. Melita at Quebec City ( note 1 ). They were among some 20,000 Mennonites who could immigrate to Canada from the Soviet Union in the 1920s. A number of these families received train cards to Cherrywood (Pickering) and Locust Hill (Markham) stations, where they were received by Markham area Mennonites. The Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization (CMBC) registration forms record each family's travel dates as well as their "first place of arrival" in Canada. The attached artifacts—a few pages from the financial records booklet kept by Markham-Stouffville treasurer J. L. Grove, plus some correspondence—profile concretely the level of support of this community north-east of Toronto for co-religionists fleeing the Soviet Union. Mennonites in Ontario had been well informed of the relief needs in Russia since 1921 and plans for mass immigration ( note 2 ). In April 1924 the local Stouffville Tribune ...

History of the Russian Mennonites

Search This Blog