A large group of Jewish scientists recently gathered in a private home in Moscow to commemorate the 850th anniversary of the birth of Maimonides, Soviet immigrants in Israel were informed last week. The gathering, attended by 82 Jewish scientists, was the largest of the sort in the past six years. Among those present were well-known refuseniks as well as guests from abroad.
The participants extended greetings to Anatoly Shcharansky, who was freed last month from the Soviet Gulag in an East-West prisoner exchange and was reunited with his wife Avital in Israel. Forty-two of the scientists signed a petition appealing to Soviet authorities to release all Prisoners of Zion and to allow all Jews who wish to emigrate to Israel to do so. A copy of the petition was sent to the Public Council for Soviet Jewry in Tel Aviv.
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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.