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Jewish Groups Trying to Block Russia’s Bid to Be Site of Olympic Games in 1976

May 7, 1970
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Two local Jewish groups are trying to block Soviet Russia’s bid to be the site of the international Olympics Games in 1976. The Southern California Council for Soviet Jews and the California Students for Soviet Jews said today that the International Olympic Committee should not give serious consideration to Moscow’s application as long as Russian Jews are repressed and denied freedom to leave. Si Frumkin, a spokesman for the groups, said “We feel…that it is an affront to the spirit of the Olympics to seriously consider an application from a government which consistently violates the UN Declaration of Human Rights…(which) states that all people will be permitted to leave any country for any destination, and this is exactly what the Soviet Jews are not permitted to do.” Mr. Frumkin claimed that over 80,000 Russian Jews had applied for exit permits last year and less than 1000 were permitted to leave. He said a nation-wide campaign of letters and telegrams to the International Olympic Committee has been started by Soviet Jewry councils all over the country.

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