This issue of the magazine includes:

• Point of View: Russian-Jewish Deceiver

The author of the article gives a new, unexpected view of the works of the famous Russian-Jewish writer Isaak Babel (1894–1940). He sees the Jewish elements in Babel's works as a kind of literary mystification and challenges the perception of Babel as a Jewish writer who addressed the Jewish audience of his time.

• Response: Special 'Jewish' Issue of Rodina, Russian Historical Magazine (Moscow)

This special issue of Rodina (Motherland), a popular Russian illustrated historical bimonthly, was published under the title 'Jews in Russia'. The reviewer strongly criticizes the compilers of the issue for mixing together serious scholarly articles and poorly written articles of no scholarly value with numerous mistakes and even articles with clear anti-Semitic sentiments.

• Synopses: Two New Books

The reviews of two recently published books are presented. The first one is a monograph by Moscow art historian Alexandra Shatskikh about the cultural life in Vitebsk in 1917–1922, when the town was the center of many artistic initiatives, including Jewish ones. The second book is a documentary novel by Evsey Tseytlin about the life of Lithuanian-Jewish writer Jokūbas Josadė (1911–1995). The novel The Long Talks While Waiting for the Happy Death was first published in 1996 by the Jewish Museum in Vilnius and republished in 2001 in Moscow. The author gives a thoughtful analysis of the catastrophe of an artist who betrayed his talent in the conditions of a totalitarian regime.

• Looking Through Russian Literary Magazines: Novels and Articles of Jewish Interest

• Jewish Calendar of Significant Dates: September–October 2002

• Bibliography: 75 New Books