A charge by the Soviet Government newspaper, Izvestia, that two Israeli Embassy officials in Moscow engaged in anti-Soviet activities among Soviet Jews was understood to have been raised by Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister, when she received Soviet Ambassador Dimitri Chuvalkhin here.
According to Izvestia, Meir Biran and Yosef Govrin visited a synagogue in Odessa, and sought to donate matzon to the congregation in the belief that matzoh baking was banned by authorities in that city. Izvestia, which called the Israelis “uninvited guests,” reported that members of the synagogue told the visitors that the reports were not true and that “we have a special bakery at the synagogue willing to take orders for matzoh.”
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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.