July 4 in the history of the EAO: the first contribution to the Defense Fund of the Motherland from the Birobidzhanians

July 4, 1941

In the city of Birobidzhan, a first fee was received by the Fund for the Defense of the Homeland from residents of the house No. 20 on the street. Partizan (now Sholom Aleichem). In total, over the years of the war, the workers of the regions introduced more than 90 million rubles to the defense fund.

July 4, 1941

On this day, in the newspaper Birobidzhanskaya Zvezda (16+) on the first page a performance was published on the radio chairman of the State Defense Committee I.V. Stalin on an attack by Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union.

Settings from the Soviet Informburos of July 2, 1941 (morning and evening post)

A letter was published to the editorial office from the team of employees of the recovery train of the Obluchye station “Our contribution to the defense of the Motherland”:

“We, the employees of the recovery train, at the first call of the party and the Government, Great Stalin, are ready to go into battle against bloody fascism, with weapons in our hands bravely and courageously fight for our free homeland. Each of us has four specialties, we can be drivers of tanks, tractors, and cars.

Now we are on the labor front, give all our forces to strengthen the defense capacity of the Motherland, ensuring the uninterrupted operation of railway transport. (…) We decided:

• saved by our team for 6 months in the amount of 55 thousand rubles to give the country to defense;
• The salary that is supposed to us for the weekend unused in June, with a total amount of 1680 rubles, also transfer to the defense fund and henceforth monthly until the full defeat of Hitler's gangs to expel 1680 rubles for defense;
• Daily work for two hours overtime, and give a fee for overtime hours to defense – this will be another 4850 rubles per month.
• Our wives, like us, strive to contribute to the victory over the enemy, they will study the specialties of their husbands in order to be able to replace them at a labor post when they are called to the front.
• The letter was signed by the head of the recovery train, Comrade Rakitin, Master of TT. Sychev, Kononenko, Yuskaev, Arkhipov, Staenko, Oda driver, cheap, Smorodnikov, Shiryaev, Suslov and others. “

Tractor of the Valdheim collective farm Maria Demchenko. 1943. Photo: Gosarchive EAO

The workers of the Birobidzhan Sulfurial Plant Volynsky V. Sh., Burd S. M., performing more than two norms daily. 1941. Photo: Gosarchive EAO

The agitator of the collective farm “Waldheim”, the foreman of the vegetable growers Sh.M. Kochina holds a conversation about events at the front. March 1942 p. Waldheim. Photo: Gosarchive EAO

And also published articles on the labor everyday life of collective farmers, employees of artels and enterprises of the region.