The Jewish autonomous region of Biro-Bidjan has underwritten twenty million roubles of the Soviet State Loan of 1942 and contributed 7,000,000 roubles in cash to the Soviet Defense Fund, obligating itself to contribute an additional 11,000,000 roubles to the same fund, it was announced here today.
In addition to giving financial aid to the Soviet war effort, the Jews in Biro-Bidjan are engaged in preparing combat reserves for the Red Army and in large-scale agricultural work. The harvest this year in Biro-Bidjan is expected to be the richest in the history of the Jewish region, the announcement said.
While training fighters for the defense of Russia, the administration of the Jewish region is also training new cadres in all fields of Jewish culture. Sixty-eight pupils have just graduated from the music-and-ballet school maintained in Biro-Bidjan by government funds. Among the graduates are the eight-year old pianist Sonia Grossman, the nine-year old pianist Bessie Lifshits and other prodigies.
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.
