Militant Jewish students protesting the Soviet treatment of the Jews, disrupted a performance of the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in Constitution Hall last night. They won applause from a large section of the audience and even from members of the orchestra, many of whom are believed to be Jewish. But Soviet diplomats attending the performance were furious because Patrick Hayes, managing director of the Washington Performing Arts Society which sponsored the concert, refused to prefer charges against the demonstrators.
Five youths in the front row sounded shofars just as the Moscow orchestra finished playing the Soviet national anthem. Others in the balcony, showered the hall with leaflets detailing alleged Soviet anti-Jewish actions. Some members of the audience helped distribute the leaflets. The demonstrators represented the “New Washington Committee for the Prevention of Genocide,” a splinter group that emerged from another group of protestors who recently chained themselves to the Soviet Embassy. Some of the students are awaiting trial on charges arising from the earlier demonstration.
SOVIET OFFICIALS PROTEST INCIDENT TO STATE DEPARTMENT
Soviet officials have already protested to the U.S. State Department over the incident. State Department officials indicated displeasure over the demonstration lest it interfere with the U.S.-Soviet cultural exchange program. The students said later that they did not intend to deprecate the artistry of the Soviet musicians but to call attention to the alleged anti-Jewish policies of the Soviet Government.
Mr. Hayes arranged for the conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic, Kiri Kondrashin, to receive a student delegation. He met with two of them but refused to accept a petition against Soviet anti-Semitism. Police re-enforcements were summoned to Constitution Hall but no arrests were made. In all, about 25 youngsters were involved, all high school and college students from the Washington area.
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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.
