A Moscow Jew named Mikhailovich, whose first name was not given, has been appointed chairman of the management committee of the Central Synagogue in Moscow, the Soviet press reported today. Soviet experts here say they know the name as that of a man “working closely with the authorities and doing their bidding.”
Several weeks ago, Nahum Paler, chairman of the synagogue’s management committee, was removed from his post, and a caretaker committee of three men was named to conduct the synagogue’s affairs. Now, the Moscow report indicated, Mikhailovich will succeed Mr. Paler.
(In New York, meanwhile, there was a report today that a fire in Moscow’s Central Synagogue, two weeks ago, destroyed several of the Holy Scrolls in the house of worship, and caused much other damage. The fire had reportedly been started by a Molotov cocktail tossed into the synagogue. The Soviet press has to date failed to report either the fire or any arrests resulting from the Moscow police investigation of the action.)
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.
