Local residents and visitors to Washington have been hearing Hebrew melodies rather than Christmas carols this week echoing down busy Sixteenth Street opposite the Soviet Embassy. The singers are part of a group of more than 1200 teenagers and 500 staff members attending the four-day United Synagogue Youth Convention at the Sheraton Park Hotel which ends tomorrow.
The young people attending the convention represent USY chapters from Conservative congregations from every state in the United States and from Canada. As part of the social action program of the convention, all those attending are participating in the vigil which is part of a program portion of the convention on a 24-hour basis for the duration of the convention. The young people and their advisors stand opposite the Soviet Embassy in line formation and sing quiet songs pertinent to the occasion in Hebrew and English.
The Soviet Jewry vigil is a program of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington and its Soviet Jewry Committee. The vigil was started in 1970 in reaction to the first Leningrad trials.
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