Jewish Revolution in Belorussia

On the whole, The Jewish Revolution in Belorussia, is an outstanding piece of sophisticated scholarship. Cogently argued and analytically astute, the book is a major contribution to our knowledge of the "Jewish Question" in the early years of the Soviet Union.

Much has been written about the promises and pitfalls of Soviet nationality policies and the ways in which the Soviet state managed its multi-ethnic empire. Drawing on a wealth of previously untapped archival materials from Belorussian archives, Sloin's excellent study nonetheless fills a major lacuna. It will stand alongside some of the best scholarship in Soviet Jewish history that has been published in recent years.

In all, Sloin's useful, well-written, and well-researched book significantly advances our understanding of Jewish life in 1920s Soviet Belorussia.

Sloin's book is a precious addition to our developing understanding of the particular experience of Jews in the BSSR.

Sloin's book contributes to our understanding of the role Jewish Communists played within the Belarusian Communist Party in this period, as well as showing how communist ideology and policy from Moscow (not always the same thing) influenced Jewish identity in Belarus.

Sloin's book lays exceptionally fruitful ground for further rethinking of the conventional paradigms of Soviet Jewishness and the languages of early Soviet social identities in general.