The current number of “Sovietish Heimland,” the officially-sponsored Yiddish monthly in Moscow, is almost an Israeli issue. It carries a survey of modern Israeli writing by Ruth Levin, and translations from the works of Israeli writers and poets, non-Communists and Communists, including Yehuda Amichai, Abraham Halfi, Mordechai Avi-Shaul, Amos Oz, Amir Gilboa.
According to Miss Levin, modern Hebrew writing “reflects the protest movement against the government,” and “fight against the wrongs within society.” She charges the Israeli media of persecuting critical writers but fails to substantiate her accusations. The article was written in Hebrew and translated into Yiddish.
The editor, Aaron Vergelis, attacks Israeli and Western Jewish writers for what he calls “indulging in the cold war,” and accuses them “of anti-Soviet attitudes which are dangerous for the Jewish people.” There are also book reviews by Tel Aviv writers. Despite the editorial criticism, this is a departure for “Heimland,” which may indicate a slight change in the official policy.
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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.
