The Association of Jewish Journalists and Authors in Britain commemorated today the 15th anniversary of the execution by the Soviet Union of 24 leading Jewish intellectuals with an appeal to Soviet authorities to allow full cultural and religious freedom to Soviet Jewry.
The statement recalled the “untimely deaths” of the murdered intellectuals “with deepest sorrow” and said their contribution to Jewish literature had been “of utmost importance” as had since been shown “by the many translations of their works into Russian and other languages, enriching Russian and world literature.”
The statement stressed that the deaths were an “enormous loss not only to Yiddish but also to world literature.” It pointed out that no explanation had been given by Soviet authorities to this day for their executions, nor have all their names and reputations been rehabilitated, or even the places of their burials been made known.
The Soviet authorities were urged “in tribute to the memory of these victims of Stalin” to allow the fullest development of Jewish culture in the Soviet Union “and to allow the Soviet Jewish community to enjoy all the facilities available to other nationalities and ethnic groups.”
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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.
