The Doctors' Plot

At the beginning of the year 5713 (1953), a show trial was held in Prague for fourteen defendants, eleven of whom were Jewish. During the trial, the fact that most of the defendants were Jewish was emphasized. This trial formed the basis for the Doctors' Plot that began about a month later.

The Plot

On 26 Tevet 5713 (January 13, 1953), the media in the Soviet Union published news about the arrest of nine doctors, six of whom were Jewish. They were accused of attempting to poison the leaders of the Communist regime and of membership in the Joint organization. It was also claimed that they had already poisoned two of the government leaders. One of the accused doctors was Stalin's personal physician, Professor Miron Vovsi.

Following this accusation, an anti-Semitic wave spread throughout the Soviet Union. After the beginning of this anti-Semitic wave, Stalin announced that in order to protect the Jews of the Soviet Union, he was planning to evacuate all Jews to the Jewish Autonomous Region in Birobidzhan and to Kazakhstan.

Stalin's Death

At the conclusion of the Purim farbrengen (gathering) of 5713, the Rebbe told a story about the elections that took place after the fall of the Czar in Russia, when the Rebbe Rashab instructed people to go and vote. One of the chassidim arrived at an election meeting and heard the crowd shouting "Hurrah" (hooray), and he also began to shout "Hu-ra" (he is evil).

In telling this, the Rebbe described how that same chassid did exactly that - he closed his eyes, raised both his hands upward, and declared three times "Hu-ra" (he is evil). Afterward, the Rebbe rested his holy head on his hands, and after long minutes, the Rebbe raised his head and began delivering a maamar (Chassidic discourse), the second one of that gathering.

About a week after the Purim holiday, the Soviet Union media announced that Stalin had died a week earlier from a stroke.

Cancellation of the Plot

Less than a month after Stalin's death, an official announcement was made in Moscow that the doctors had been released because they were found innocent and their confessions had been obtained through coercion.

Later it was published that those responsible for the plot were arrested and punished.

See Also

• Purim 5713
• "The Doctors' Plot" - A comic book from Malchut HaKeter

External Links

• The Doctors' Plot - Special production about the miracle story, RaN Yeshiva Moscow
• Avraham Reinitz, Three times "Hu-ra" that saved 3 million Jews - Beit Mashiach weekly
• Purim Joy - The death of the 'Haman of the generation' by the 'Mordechai of the generation' - Collection published by Vaad Chayalei Beit David - 770 dealing with Stalin's death and other similar episodes