Israel Embassy officials who attended Rosh Hasha and services in Moscow’s Great Synagogue were surrounded by hundreds of friendly Russia Jews who demonstrated their affection by shaking hands with each Israeli, it was reported here from Moscow. The single synagogue was crowded to the overflow point during services.
It was also reported that Jews in most major Soviet cities turned out in great numbers for the holiday services. In Moscow, Kiev, Riga, Lwow, C dessa and Minsk the synagogues had been cleaned and freshened up for the High Holy Day period. But in most communities, there was a dearth of prayer books and other religious materials and in some there were insufficient seats for all observant Jews.
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.