On the eve of the High Holidays, the Soviet Government in a statement on religious freedom in Russia, today stressed that there are at present 1,011 synagogues and 2,559 rabbis in the Soviet Union. In Moscow alone, there are three synagogues, the statement says pointing out that the great choral synagogues there has its own administration.
“The Soviet Government provides buildings for religious purposes free of charge, and exempt of taxes,” the official statement continues. “The Soviet Government ensures that no one disturb the right of believers, offend their feelings or jeer at their belief. Soviet courts severely punish those who try in any way to infringe on the rights of believers. The Soviet Government has secured for each nationality the possibility to perform religious ceremonies in its mother tongue.”
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.
