12 August 1952 Remembered, with Yelena Shmulenson and Boris Sandler

This week, interviews with Yelena Shmulenson and
Boris Sandler in memory of the August 12, 1952
tragedy known as Night of the Murdered Poets, when thirteen
Soviet Jews, all leading intellectuals, five of whom were top
Yiddish writers, were executed in the Lubianka Prison in Moscow
on false charges of spying and treason. The charges were
reexamined and admitted to have "no substance" by the Soviet
authorities less than four years later. For more information on
August 12 1952 and the history and tradition of its
memorialization, see Rokhl Kafrissen's excellent 2019 article in
Tablet Night of the Murdered Poets.




Yelena Shmulenson discusses her theater piece "Night of the
Murdered Poets", being presented in New York City on
Thursday, August 10, 2023, sponsored by
https://congressforjewishculture.org/, and how it relates to
the tragedy of August 12, 1952, a/k/a the Night of the
Murdered Poets




Boris Sandler discusses his personal connection to the tragic
events of August 12, 1952, as well as his main project, the
monthly Yiddish journal Yiddish Branzhe. Links two of
Sandler's books discussed in the interview:




דער ענין נומער 5390: (פון די ק.ג.ב. ארכיוון)




With a Mission to Moscow (Yiddish Edition)




Music:


songs with lyrics by some of those executed August 12,
1952, performed by Emil Gorovets, accompanied by Zalmen
Mlotek, from the album Ikh Bin a Yid

Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS, an
instrumental track from the CD Jeff Warschauer: The Singing
Waltz





Air Date: August 9, 2023