Soviet postal authorities have returned to the Chief Rabbinate here 185 parcels addressed late last summer to Jewish communities in Russia, containing etrogim and lulavim, which are traditionally used by religious Jews during the observance of Succot. The parcels were marked by the Russian authorities “forbidden for import.”
The rejected parcels are similar to others which the rabbinate had sent in previous years to Russian Jewish communities. Receipt of those sent in other years had been duly acknowledged. The return of this year’s shipments was seen as indicating a change in Russian policy regarding the import of Jewish religious articles.
It is believed that other, similar parcels sent to individuals in the Soviet Union may have been received. Last week, the office of Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim received acknowledgment and thanks from one Jew in the Soviet Union who had received an individual shipment of the Succot supplies.
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.
