By the mid-1930s , Mikhoels ' career was threatened because of his association with other leading intelligentsia , who were victims of Stalin 's purges . Mikhoels actively supported Stalin against Adolf Hitler , and in 1942 , he was made chairman of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee . In this capacity , he travelled around the world , meeting with Jewish communities to encourage them to support the Soviet Union in its war against Nazi Germany
purges
Great Purge
Solomon Mikhoels