On Saturday, June 29, on the festival of Sts. Peter and Paul, there was a district convention of all the villages surrounding the town, where there was a discussion of the decree received from Ovruch to the effect that the registration of weights and measures should be transferred from the priest to a department of the district Executive Committee's government. The point of view of the convention was terribly counter-revolutionary and anti-Semitic. All the peasants shouted ^rith one voice that "this is all on account of the Jews," "they want to close the church and remove the priest." Of course there was no idea of admitting Jews to the convention; they even drove away a Jewish member of the Committee of the Poor, saying "we don't need any Jews." The Executive Committee even then took no measures to pacify the people and explain to them the object of the decree and its real meaning; on the contrary, it hinted at protesting and not accepting the decree. Almost all the peasants left the convention saying, as it were addressing the Jews, "Enough of your commune, enough of your closing churches." On the evening of the same day two Jews (the local druggist and I myself) were delegated to go to the priest and find out what the peasants were concocting. The delegates pointed out to him that the Jews were, so to speak, between the devil and the deep sea, that is, on the one hand we were accused of being spies and counter-revolutionaries (see an article "Struggle with the Jewish counter-revolution," in the communist paper for July 8), and on the other hand we were accused of closing churches and of wishing as communists to "eat free." The delegates asked him to explain to the peasants on Sunday after service, that the Jews here had nothing to do with it, and that the Christians like ourselves should submit to the government. The priest replied that there was no reason to be afraid of his parishioners and that he would explain all this to them on the next day, that is, Sunday. This rather satisfactory answer reassured us a little. Sunday and Monday passed as usual and very well. But Tuesday morning a rumor spread through the town that there would be a pogrom at night. However, there were no actual facts at hand, and we did not take the matter seriously. It was not until evening that suspicious persons were observed on the streets — young peasants placed on guard with the militiamen. Besides these about thirty Jews were on watch until one o'clock. At that time the commander of militia began to disperse the Jewish guard, saying he would get along without
UKRAINE