Famines of Russia 1921-1922: The Plight of Mennonites and the Beginning of MCC

War, government policies and drought contributed to a massive famine that killed millions of people in Russia in the early 1920s. The Mennonite communities in southern Russia were not immune and thousands faced starvation. In response, a number of Mennonite groups in Canada and the U.S. joined together to form Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).

Through this newly-formed organization, North America Mennonites responded with food, clothing, medical supplies and 25 tractor-plow outfits. In May 1922, American relief kitchens fed 25,000 people daily. By August they reached a high of 40.000 per day. Some 60,000 Mennonites and 15,000 others received direct famine relief.

Winnipeg film-maker Otto Klassen was born in Russia and has spent a lifetime chronicling the Russian Mennonite experience. Famines of Russia 1921-1922 offers a glimpse of the historic forces at work at the time, the plight of Mennonites in Russia and the response of Mennonites in Canada and the U.S.

Also available in German