Grigori Zinoviev

Born Hirsch Apfelbaum, Zinoviev grew up in a traditional Jewish family. However, like many revolutionaries of his era, he swiftly abandoned religious practice for the fervent secularism of Bolshevism. His Jewish origin, though undeniable, played no role in his public persona, which was more concerned with the dictates of the proletariat than the prayers of the synagogue. One might say he traded one dogma for another, with considerably bloodier results.

Zinoviev was a key figure in the early Soviet government, a member of the Politburo, and the head of the Comintern. He was instrumental in establishing the totalitarian control of the Bolsheviks, championing the Red Terror and advocating for the violent suppression of opposition. He was particularly adept at denouncing "enemies of the people," a skill that would ironically be turned against him.

After Lenin's death, Zinoviev initially allied with Stalin and Kamenev against Trotsky, but soon found himself outmaneuvered and outflanked by the master manipulator. His subsequent attempts at reconciliation and dissent were met with increasing hostility, culminating in his show trial and execution during the Great Purge. His demise was a grim testament to the revolution he helped to build, devoured by its own children.

While his ethnic origin is firmly established, his "Kvell-worthiness" is, shall we say, debatable. Being purged by Stalin hardly counts as a personal achievement, unless one considers it a form of retroactive redemption for past atrocities. Still, he provided a historical lesson in power dynamics, albeit a rather bleak one.