(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The Yiddish language is sabotaged by he Soviet authorities, charges a writer in the “Emes,”Moscow Yiddish Communist daily. The writer, Matz, cites instances in Nevel, Velizh and other towns in the Vitebsk district where over fifty percent of the population is Jewish.
Local officials disregard decisions of the communal Soviets, Yiddish is not use in the government offices, Jews speaking Yiddish are ignored. Notices that Yiddish is permitted were removed by the Velizh authorities. A woman who was employed to help Yiddish speaking Jews, admitted that she did not understand the language.
No books in Yiddish, nor the “Emes,” are permitted in the Velizh library, the writer states. These conditions are not merely local, he writes, believing the situation to be no better in the Ukraine and White Russia.
The article concludes with a charge against the Soviet authorities and the Committee for the National Minorities of neglecting their duty.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
