A spirited display of religious fervor — and a pointed demonstration of solidarity with Russian Jews — took place in New York last night, at the conclusion of Simhath Torah, when 3,000 persons, a majority of them high school and college students, danced and sang in the street one block from the headquarters of the Soviet Mission to the United Nations.
The demonstration was sponsored by the New York Coordinating Committee for Soviet Jewry, the New York Board of Rabbis and the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. The program distributed by the sponsors called it an expression of unity with the 20,000 Jews who danced and sang in front of the Central Synagogue in Moscow on Simhath Torah, daring "to express their will to be Jews in spite of religious and cultural starvation by the (Soviet) Government." Signs carried by the New York demonstrators obviously for the benefit of the Soviet mission officials nearby, read "Stop Burying Judaism" and "Justice for Jews."
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
