Full Description
Only in the Soviet Union could they make an entertaining propaganda film encouraging Jews to move to Siberia. In 1928 Stalin established Birobidjan as the "Jewish Autonomous Region" in far eastern Siberia. The Communist Party leadership wanted to create an alternative to the religious expression of Judaism and the growing Zionist political movement. This well-made, highly dramatic film depicts optimistic Jews from abroad who look for a great new socialist future, and their trials and tribulations as farmers on the land in Birobidjan. By the time the film was produced in 1936, Jews were already starting to leave, as they were unable to survive the cold weather and rocky terrain unfit for farming.
