The Jewish Defense League has given impressario Sol Hurok two weeks to cancel all contracts with Soviet artistic groups. If contracts are not cancelled, the League threatens to disrupt all performances of the groups. Mr. Hurok is a leading sponsor of Soviet cultural activities in the United States. Steven Rubens, a spokesman for the JDL reportedly told Mr. Hurok that JDL disruptions in the past and possible repetition of them in the future were part “of a total JDL effort to awaken public opinion to the plight of Russian Jewry.”
The League has sent a telegram to the Secretary of State William P. Rogers, urging termination of all cultural exchanges with the Soviets. It has also sent one to Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin, saying that “Soviet oppression of Jews continues despite warnings.” Both telegrams warned of future disruptions. The JDL warned “all persons who are thinking of purchasing tickets for performances by Soviet artists to reconsider their decisions…the plight of human beings must take precedence over an individual’s desire for musical enjoyment.”
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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.
