Soviet Jewry

THE visit to Britain of Boris Ponomarev, like that of former KGB chief Alexander Shelepin last year, has been an unmitigated disaster for those who try to promote the human face of Soviet socialism Beginning with the uproar in Parliament and ending with a bevy of cat-and-mouse demonstrations, Ponomarev was quite clearly shaken by the … Read more

The dramatic events of the past two weeks in Moscow, in which leading Jewish activists have been severely beaten and arrested because of their open demands for exit visas, have brought this issue’ to a head just at a time when the Kremlin would most have liked things to remain dormant—on the eve of the … Read more

What is the current situation regarding Jews in the Soviet Union? It is a matter of life and death for them to be out of the country because of the catastrophic growth of anti-Semitism. Despite requests from the west, there has been no improvement at all in the religious facilities available for those who wish … Read more

Although the Russians are continuing to harass their Jewish citizens, they appear to be refrain-ng from resorting to blatant cruelties which could form the nucleus of an issue between them and the Americans in the US presidential campaign. Last year, there were eight known trials of Jewish activists. Pour were young men tried for evasion, … Read more

In the lull before the elections in the United States, the situation of the veteran refuseniks, appears to be as unchanging and heartbreaking as ever. A particularly tragic case is that the Slepak family in Moscow, Although Vladimir has been given numerous excuses for not being allowed to leave, the main one usually quoted by … Read more

Soviet Jews have been watching the American Presidential election campaign with great interest. Though technically neutral, it is no secret that they do not view with great enthusiasm the efforts on their behalf of the present White House Administration. This stems from what they consider to be the antagonistic attitude shown by Richard Nixon and … Read more

EIGHTY NINE JEWISH activists in the Soviet Union, together with Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, have appealed to ‘the two American presidential candidates, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, to defend human rights in the Soviet Union. The Jews pointed out that the Kremlin had not lived up to its promises given at the time … Read more