Grische Feigin of Riga, who was reportedly taken by force from his home last Dec. 18 and placed in a mental institution, apparently because of his public protests against the Soviet Union’s anti-Jewish policies, was released Thursday, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned from highly reliable sources. Feigin, who held the rank of major in the Soviet armed forces during World War II, returned to Soviet officials last spring the decorations he had been awarded for his wartime service. He returned the awards along with a letter explaining his reasons. The letter was published in the Chicago Tribune last May 7. It was reported last December that an ambulance arrived at Feigin’s home from which several male nurses emerged. They forced the former officer into the ambulance which took him to “Psychiatric Hospital 15.” He reportedly was told that “normal people do not return Soviet medals.” There was no formal announcement about his incarceration and similarly none about his release.
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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.
