Several members of Parliament and Jewish groups have reacted sharply to a suggestion by Foreign Secretary David Owen that Jewish campaigning for the rights of Soviet Jews would be strengthened if it were broadened to cover other ethnic and religious groups not only within the Soviet Union but also elsewhere. In addressing the Zionist Federation last week, Owen also stated that Jewish groups cause “resentment” by agitating almost exclusively for Soviet Jewry, where as there are many other religious minorities in difficulty in the USSR.
Greville Janner, co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee for Soviet Jewry, said Owen had overlooked the fact that Jews had everywhere been in the forefront of the struggle for universal human rights. The Herut movement, terming the Foreign Secretary’s remarks “discourteous,” stated that “the right of repatriation is within Soviet law and we restrict our activities purely for this purpose and in no way interfere with the internal politics of the Soviet Union.”
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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.
