Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits of the British Commonwealth called on rabbis and ministers today to observe Saturday, Jan. 6 as a day of prayer and intercession on behalf of Soviet Jewry, which is denied religious and cultural freedom. The special prayers will be recited following the regular prayers for the royal family and the State of Israel.
Rabbi Jakobovits noted that although the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem had proclaimed Dec. 25, the 23rd of Kislev, as a day of prayer for Soviet Jews, he considered it more appropriate for British Jews to make the Sabbath of “Vayigash,” Jan. 6, the occasion for expressing their solidarity with Soviet Jews through prayer.
(Special prayers for the Jews of the Soviet Union, were chanted in synagogues all over Israel Monday by decree of the Chief Rabbinate, which established the day as one of prayer and lamentation for Russian Jewry. The Rabbinate also asked every Jew to observe a one-hour work stoppage at noon in a demonstration of concern for the plight of Soviet Jews.)
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