In a joint statement today, issued by the National Conference on Soviet Jewry and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Richard Maass and Jacob Stein the chairmen of those organizations were joined by Max M. Fisher, former chairman of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, in welcoming “suspension of the education tax” levied by Soviet officials on emigrants. The Jewish leaders acknowledged “with appreciation the initiatives of President Nixon in this achievement.”
The leaders declared that “we believe that the Jackson Amendment and the Mills-Vanik bill have contributed and will continue to contribute to the effort to alleviate the plight of Soviet Jews and we continue our support for this legislation….We trust that continuing efforts by the President and by the Congress will achieve the right of free emigration for Soviet Jews.”
The statement was issued to clarify the position of the Jewish community with respect to legislative action now pending and recent meetings with President Richard M. Nixon and Dr. Henry Kissinger. This statement also follows recent policy meetings held by the many organizations which represent the constituencies of the NCSJ and the Conference of Presidents.
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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.
