The National Conference on Soviet Jewry has learned of a series of incidents in the Potma prison complex in the last few days which indicate that official Soviet harassment of Jewish prisoners continues. Roiza Palatnik is reported to be suffering from a heart condition. After her sister left for Israel, the criminal elements in the prison camp, spurred on by the camp authorities, again started harassing her.
Arkady Shpilberg has been assigned to hard labor although his health has deteriorated as a result of high blood pressure. Leib G. Knokh went on a hunger strike from Dec. 17 to 26 in protest against insults by the camp commander, Corkushev. The 50-year-old mathematician, Lev Korenblit, who was transferred from dirt digging to a sewing shop, developed an eye disease and is almost blind.
Arkady Voloshin, a prisoner, applied to the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union demanding the return of his books (a Jewish encyclopedia, a Hebrew-Russian dictionary and a Jewish prayer book) which were confiscated when he was arrested. He was informed by the Supreme Court of the Moldavian Republic where his trial was conducted that the Jewish prayer book had been burned since it was “an anti-Soviet document.” The other books, he was told. will not be returned to him for the same reason.
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.
