view, and Wells a secular philosophy. Ivy Litvinov, prior to marriage, made a name for herself in literature and education. She wrote a number of literary works that won critical acclaim. Litvinov served as Soviet Foreign Minister from 1921 to 1939. During that era, he conducted extensive negotiations with the German government and repre- sented his government in the League of Nations and international conferences. From 1941 to 1943 he was Soviet Ambassador to the United States. Following that assignment, little was heard from him until his death in December 1951. During Litvinov’s stint in Washington, the Bialy- stoker Center in New York prepared a reception for him. Because of a sudden diplomatic mission, Litvinov was unable to attend. Upon receiving his telegram to that effect, a committee consisting of Philip Novick, Samuel Kassel and David Sohn visited him on his ship prior to his departure. Litvinov warmly greeted his Bia- lystoker landsleit, inquired about many of his childhood friends, and particularly about one of his rabbis, Wolf Rubin, who lived in New York at that time. During the conversation, Ambassador Litvinov spoke in Yiddish. The delegation requested that the ambassador per- suade the Soviet authorities to place orders with manu- facturers in Bialystok in order to stimulate its depressed economy. Litvinov promised to give this matter his serious attention. The next day the Bialystoker Center received a cable from the ambassador stating he was honored by the committee’s visit. As it turned out, the Russi*~. government did increase its commercial trans- actions with Bialystok factories, reactivating some firms that earlier had come to a virtual standstill. An Interview with Litvinov’s Brother in Bialystok At the end of 1938, when Maxim Litvinov was at the height of his influence in the Soviet foreign ministry, a Polish journalist conducted an interview with his brother, Rabbi Jakow Walach. The Polish correspondent arrived in Bialystok, looking for Litvinov’s relatives. He came upon a drug- store owned by the Walachs, entered and began a con- versation with Litvinov’s aunt and brother: Rabbi Walach, the Foreign Minister’s older brother, appeared in the modest quarters belong- ing to his family, dressed in a long black robe, with a white, patriarchal beard, wearing a fur hat (shtreimel) on his head. “Are you the brother of Soviet Foreign Min- ister Litvinov?” he was asked. “Unfortunately I am,’ he answered. “Why unfortunately?” “Because he is the leader of an atheistic regime,” the elderly Jew replied. ‘Do you wish to share with us some memo- ries of your brother?” ‘Only on condition that my remarks will not 46 be interpreted as a criticism, because I still love my brother.” “Does your brother ever help you out?” “No, absolutely not! Once, when I was quite ill, I wrote to him pleading for some money. His secretary replied that Soviet law does not permit exporting Russian currency abroad. And Foreign Minister Litvinov has no intention of violating the law.” “When was the last time you saw your brother?” */4 couple of years ago. I was in Bialystok at the time and learned that an express train would be passing through, carrying my brother to Ge- neva. I stood on the platform of the railroad sta- tion to see him. The police and his bodyguards would not permit me to enter the train. Suddenly I began shouting, ‘Meir, Meir!’ ‘““My brother peered out the window of his parlor car, recognized me and emerged onto the platform. We spoke for several minutes. He gave me an expensive cigar and told me about his life as a Soviet official. When I started chiding him for losing his faith in God, he replied, ‘What do you know?’ and quickly reentered the train.” “Tell me something of Litvinov’s life.” “I can describe how a good, pious Jewish boy turned into a Bolshevik. At the time Czar Alexander was assassinated, a telegram from St. Petersburg arrived in Bialystok, ordering the arrest of a man named Walach. Our father, a devout Jew, had as much to do with socialism as I. Nonetheless, the police arrested my father by mistake. This made a terrible impression on young Meir. He heard that his father was jailed for socialist activities and demanded to know what socialism was. When our father was released a short time later, he enrolled Meir in a Russian school. There he read the outlawed socialist books. Still he was very religious, going to syn- agogue every day. Later he was drafted into the Russian army and sent away to serve in the Cau- casus Mountains. The unit was later renamed, ‘Comrade Litvinov’s Brigade.’ ‘Thereafter he went to Kiev and worked ina factory. His contact with the workers drew him closer to socialism. ‘In later years, he was influenced by Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin. He spent the rest of his life as a loyal communist.” The story of Maxim Litvinov, born Meir Walach, a Jewish boy from Bialystok, can only arouse mixed feel- ings among his /Jandsleit. We admire the high position of authority that he attained, but, at the same time, we

cannot help regret his estrangement from his own peo- ple’s faith and culture. The Bialystoker Memorial Book