ROSH HASHANA, 1950: an old, frightened Moscow Jew hurriedly passes a scribbled note to a surprised Israeli diplomat stationed in the Soviet capital. Later, in the privacy of the embassy, the diplomat glances at the note. It reads: “You will not see the truth here — only what you are shown. Everything in reality Is … Read more
THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO, Volume II, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 712 pages (Collins and Harvill Press). £4.95. This is an agonising heavy book to read which leaves the reader cold and empty inside. The great pen of Alexander Solzhenitsyn paints a picture of a different planet, a strange world of ragged “zeks” (camp slang for prisoners) their … Read more
When they brought Leonid Ivanovich into the visiting room, it was impossible to recognise him. His eyes were filled with pain and misery, he spoke with difficulty and brokenly, frequently leaning on the back of the chair in search of support. His effort at self-control was evident as from time to time, he closed his … Read more
TO DEFEND THESE RIGHTS: HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE SOVIET UNION. By Valery Chalidze, translated by Guy Daniels 340pp (Collins and Harvill) 4 pounds Valery Chalidze was a founder member of the Soviet Human Rights Committee together with the Nobel Prize winner, Andrei Sakharov. Chalidze was the legal expert of the group. His political weapons … Read more
An elderly Jewish woman ‘rom Leningrad has been committed to a closed psychiatric hospital for an indefinite period. The woman, 63-year-old Meita Leibovna Leikina, was accused of dealing with contraband and concealing crimes against the state. Her “crime” was that she sent violin to her daughter Anna 1n Israel via a friend. She wrote a … Read more
Professor Benjamin Levich, the most senior Soviet Jew to have applied to go to Israel, has been told that the promise he was given that he would be allowed to leave at the end of this year was a mistake. For the past. year, Levich, a corresponding member of the Soviet Academy of Science, has … Read more
Thank you for your great heart, for your clear understanding of reality, for your honesty. Can one be grateful for honesty? Yes, for in the world we live in, honesty requires in many courage which is not granted to all. Your courage is so immense with its radiance that it chases away some of the … Read more
The call for the establishment of a national Conference on Soviet Jewry would be a welcome development in co-ordinating future activities and would satisfy many of the complaints now being made. Until a few months ago, there were four definable groups within the campaign. The “old guard” centred very much on the Board’s Soviet Jewry … Read more
Despite the fact that eight Moscow activists were arrested on Monday following a demonstration, Soviet Jews bravely and defiantly went ahead with their celebrations of the Festival of Purim. Some went to the Moscow Central Synagogue for the traditional reading of the story of Esther while others met in private homes. The most poignant gathering … Read more
The Soviet propaganda against the Brussels conference which began weeks ago, went into top gear this week. In almost a carbon copy of the Soviet attack on the first Brussels conference in 1971, “house Jews” were brought out to condemn the event. A Tass dispatch quoted from numerous letters from Soviet Jews, attacking the conference. … Read more