Head of American Conference on Soviet Jewry Deplores ‘discourtesy’ Shown Levin

The chairman of the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry today termed “regrettable” the “discourtesy” shown to Rabbi Yehuda Leib Levin during his Hunter College address last week, when he denied the existence of Soviet anti-Semitism. Rabbi Israel Miller, in a letter to the New York Times, citing a Times editorial deploring the audience’s treatment of Rabbi Levin, said. “We recognize that he must make, as the editorial pointed out, ‘a ritualistic defense’ of the Soviet policy toward the Jews,” even as we understand the impatience and anguish manifested by some members of the audience.

“The feelings were exacerbated by the fact that the meeting was held under the auspices of a group whose posture is overwhelmingly rejected by the American Jewish community,” Rabbi Miller said, referring to the anti-Zionist American Council for Judaism.