roubles (5s.0d.) In some towns it is even more. A pood (40 1bs) of potatoes costs 30 roubles. In Odessa it is even 60 roubles, and prices continue to rise. To hunger the people are already becoming accustomed. What is worse are the arrests. Innocent people are being arrested, thrown into dark cellars and kept there until their strength fails them. While this goes on parties of tourists are arriving in Russia. They are being well received, and dinners are being arranged in their honor, and they see only what is shown them. If they came to us, they would see the true state of our conditions here, the letter reads.
In another letter a correspondent describing the starvation of the people says that it is a common occurrence now to see people in the streets weak from hunger, with swollen faces and sunken eyes. The peasant who comes to town to sell his produce is surrounded by numerous buyers and has to protect himself from the rush that is made upon him, in which many of the peasants faint. The hunger of previous years is not to be compared with what is being experienced now.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.