Soviet Jewry Top Priority Issue in Many Jewish Communities, Says Richter

The battle for Soviet Jews is now the “hottest issue” in many Jewish communities around the United States, concluded Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry national coordinator Glenn Richter, just back from a 5,000-mile, cross-country Soviet Jewry tour. Richter said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the level of activity and creativity on the local level. To illustrate, he listed 40-foot “Save Soviet Jewry” signs on the outside of synagogues in Pittsburgh, a greeting card to Russian Jews program in Chicago, a Soviet Jewry “telegram bank” and a 20-minute videotape on the issue in Minneapolis, a two-week “mini-course” on Soviet Jewry taught by a student in a public high school in Omaha, a Babi Yar Park and a Soviet Jewry exhibit in the main public library in Denver, a delegation to the governor in Salt Lake City, and numerous projects in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Summing up his trip, Richter concluded that Jewish communities want more “concrete action” for Soviet Jews. Two of the most important of these in the coming year, he said, will be pressure for the bills now in Congress for Soviet Jews (for 30,000 emergency U.S. visas and Voice of America radio broadcasts) and mailing of Jewish material, as greeting cards, directly to activist Russian Jews.