More than 40 Jewish activists released a statement in Moscow appealing “to all those who support the struggle of the Soviet Jews for free emigration to Israel” to take action to foil the latest attempt by Soviet authorities to discredit and destroy the Jewish emigration movement. The statement was received here and released in translation by the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry which reported that many of the signatories are now in jail.
It came in the aftermath of a week of mass arrests and the beatings of large numbers of Jewish activists by Soviet police agents following a sit-in at the Supreme Soviet to demand why they have been denied exit visas. Referring to the beatings, the statement said:
“This is the most vivid example of the pogrom atmosphere enforced in the country.” It noted that the seriousness of the situation became evident when the Soviet Interior Minister. N. Shcholokov told a group of protestors that “neither he nor the Ministry guarantees our safety.”
“The goal of this whole campaign is obvious,” the statement said. “This is an attempt to strangle the movement of the Soviet Jews for the exodus from the USSR. It is also an attempt to convince us and you in the helplessness of the movement of solidarity with the Soviet Jews. They are counting on that the Western public opinion will become reconciled with the tyranny. We appeal to you to demonstrate the erroneous character of these considerations. We appeal to you to prevent the oncoming tragedy.”
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.
