Allon Calls on Russia to Permit Its Jewish Citizens to Emigrate to Israel

Deputy Premier Yigal Allon called on the Soviet Union yesterday to permit its Jewish citizens to emigrate to Israel. Addressing the closing session of the World Jewish Congress executive conference here, he said the Kremlin would have to realize sooner or later that one anomaly cannot be solved by another anomaly. He said it was anomalous that Jews who were born and brought up during the 50 years of the Soviet regime are “yearning to identify themselves with Jewry and wish to join Jews in Israel or their families elsewhere.” He said it was anomalous for the Soviet authorities to prevent them from doing so.

The World Jewish Congress executive conference especially called on the Soviet Government to facilitate the emigration of Russian Jews who wanted to go to Israel or anywhere else in the world in order to re-unite with their families. The appeal, contained in resolutions adopted at the closing session of the executive conference here was the first ever made by that organization to the Soviet Union.

RESOLUTION CALLS FOR EQUAL TREATMENT OF SOVIET JEWS

The resolution also urged the Soviet authorities to grant Jews the same cultural, religious and educational rights enjoyed by other national minorities in the USSR under the Soviet constitution. It condemned officially inspired anti-Semitic propaganda in Russia and Poland and praised the “courageous stand of an increasing number of Russian Jews who identify themselves with world Jewry.” Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Jewish Congress, predicted a “great emigration” from Russia but added, “We cannot hope for this in the very near future.” In another resolution, the WJ Congress called on Egypt, Syria and Iraq to let the remnants of their Jewish population emigrate en masse. The organization expressed world Jewish solidarity with Israel and supported Israel’s demand for direct peace negotiations with the Arabs.