Zimanas, Henry Osherovich

Born into a Jewish family. In 1932, he graduated from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Kaunas Vytautas the Great , after which he worked in Jewish educational institutions in Lithuania. He wrote articles in the Jewish press. Collaborated in the journal School and Society.

In 1934 he joined the illegally operating Communist Party of Lithuania . Since 1935 he worked in the illegal newspaper "Revolutionary Way." In 1937-1940 - Executive Secretary of the Daily Folksblat Yiddish . In 1939, the legal journal Straln (Yiddish: Rays ) was created, which Zimanas edited until 1940.

Since 1940, after Lithuania joined the Soviet Union, Zimanas worked as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Tiesa (the Soviet central newspaper Pravda in Lithuanian).

During the Second World War, Heinrich Ziman (Zimanas) “Jurgis” took an active part in the partisan movement in the Rudnicky forests near Vilnius, leading the partisan Lithuanian brigade. The brigade leadership maintained contact with the underground in the Vilnius ghetto, from where new military units poured into the brigade ^[2] .

In January 1944, the Soviet leadership decided to create two clandestine regional committees in Lithuania. Heinrich Zimanas was appointed the first secretary of the Southern Regional Party Committee, covering Vilnius, Kaunas and adjoining these cities and located south of the counties. With the name of Zimanas, as the leader of partisan activities in this area, tragedies in the villages of Kanyukai and Bakalorishkes are associated ^[3] . On January 29, 1944, a group of Soviet partisans from the Zimanas brigade committed the massacre of the Polish population of the village of Kanyukai in Eishiski Uyezd ^{[3] [4]} . In his memoirs “Flames under the Ashes”, Vilnius ghetto underground activist and partisan Ruzka Korczak writes that “the brutal operation developed and carried out by the military-political command of the brigade’s headquarters, during which men, women and children were killed indiscriminately, caused a negative reaction among the partisans.

With the end of the war, Henryk Zimanas returned to journalism and editorial work - until 1970 he headed the newspaper Tiesa , and in 1971-1984 - the magazine Komunistas . In his publications he highlighted the problems of ideology, culture and Jewish identity. From March 24, 1983 to July 15, 1985 - member of the Anti-Zionist Committee of the Soviet public .

In 1945-1968 - Work at Vilnius University, since 1968 - lecturer at Vilnius Pedagogical Institute. Since 1970 - Doctor of Philosophy, in 1971 received the title of professor.

From 19.2.1949 to 12.2.1958 - a candidate member of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania (KP) (Lithuania), from 15.2.1958 to 7.12.1962 - member of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania; The IV-th plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania (December 6-7, 1962) was relieved of his duties as a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania ^[1] .

Member of the Supreme Council of the USSR IX convocation.

• Order of Lenin (03/22/1944; 05/04/1962)
• Order of the October Revolution (05/08/1980) ^[5]
• Order of the Patriotic War I degree (03/11/1985)
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor
• Order of the Badge of Honor (05/15/1970)
• Polish Order of Virtuti Militari ^[4] ;
• Honored Worker of Culture of the Lithuanian SSR (1960);
• Prize to them. Vincas Miscavičius-Kapsukas , awarded by the Union of Journalists of the Lithuanian SSR (1965).

• Kanyukai massacre

• Tininis V., Komunistinio režimo nusikaltimai Lietuvoje 1944 - 1953, I - II t., Vilnius 2003
• Who's Who in the USSR 1965-66. Edited by AI Lebed, Dr. HE Schulz and Dr. SS Taylor, The Scarecrow Press Inc., New York & London, 1966
• Soviet historical encyclopedia, vol. 1 - 16, Moscow, 1961 - 1976