The Soviet Embassy here was picketed yesterday by a delegation of Jews from the Greater Philadelphia area, in protest against Soviet anti-Semitism. About 50 pickets marched near the Embassy, bearing signs denouncing Soviet discrimination.
The group was led by Rabbis Yaakov Rosenberg and Alex Shapiro. They sought to meet with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin. First Secretary Anatoly Mishkov, of the Embassy, met with the leaders for 20 minutes, but refused to let him talk with the Ambassador. They later described Mr. Mishkov as personally courteous but totally unresponsive to their approach on behalf of Russian Jewry.
The delegation asked Mr. Mishkov for permission to send 5, 000 Hebrew prayer books to co-religionists in Russia. He said there was no evidence such material was needed or desired. He also refused to accept a letter detailing anti-Jewish bias. The pickets were joined by Rep. William A. Barrett, Pennsylvania Democrat.
Meanwhile, Richard H. Davis, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, met with leaders of the Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry, and heard their appeal for direct American talks with the Soviet Union in an effort to secure equality of treatment for Russian Jews. The delegation was headed by Rabbi Nathan Rosenbaum.
A petition bearing 10, 000 signatures, addressed to Soviet authorities, was brought to the State Department. The petition called for a “full measure of equality” for Soviet Jews.
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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.
