Jewish sources in the Soviet Union reported that the Odessa daily newspaper, “Znamia Komunizma” (The Communist Banner), stated that the City Council had decided to liquidate the old Jewish cemetery on Tshernomorski Road by the end of this year. This cemetery contains a number of historical Jewish graves, among them that of Mendele Mocher Seforim and Simon Frug.
According to Soviet law, relatives or any other interested parties are entitled to transfer burled remains and coffins to a new place of burial when a cemetery is liquidated. Thus, even foreign organizations can, theoretically, apply for permission to transfer the remains and tombstones to another place in the city. But there is very little time left, and Soviet Jews are worried that neither they nor Jews abroad will succeed In saving the historical graves and tombstones.
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.
