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Jews of U.S.S.R. Send Rosh Hashonah Greetings to American Jewry

September 23, 1943
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A Rosh Hashonah message to the Jews of the United States on behalf of the Jews of the U.S.S.R. was issued to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today by Samuel Chobrutsky, president of the Moscow Jewish Community, which has been functioning here since its evacuation from the Russian capital when the city was in danger of falling to the Nazis. The message reads as follows:

“The New Year of 5704 is being ushered in to the terrible crash of guns and the ominous whistle of shells. As have been the previous two years, it is born in the flame of the fire that has engulfed the world, and its path is covered with blood. But in the sky, which has hung leaden over us since the outbreak of the war, we can now see light breaking. Over the noise of the cannonades we can hear voices prophesying that victory is near, victory of good over evil, of light over darkness, of justice over brutality, of God’s word over Satan’s machinations.

“Standing at the cradle of the New Year we look into the future with hope and trust that this year, with the help of God, will bring us release from all the terrible misfortunes of war and will heal the bloody wounds that the war has caused. To our profound regret, this hope cannot be shared by millions of our brethren who are subjected to superhuman tortures and death by the Fascist beasts. But the knowledge that the day of payment and vengeance is near gives us some relief

SOVIET JEWS SEE FREEING OF ALL RUSSIA IN COMING YEAR

“We Jews of the Soviet Union are looking to the coming year with doubled expectations and hopes. The splendid victories of our heroic Red Army under the leadership of our wise leader, Stalin, the titanic struggle and victory at Stalingrad, the glorious liberation of Orel, Kharkov, Taganrog, Tchernigov, and thousands of other towns and villages that suffered under the yoke of fascist oppressions gives us assurance that in the coming year, with the help of Providence and the force of our weapons, the enemy will be banished from our country and our native land will be freed, and we, on equal footing with all the nations of our great country, shall again live the free life we lived before this bloody war.

“Brother Jews of the great republic across the sea. With joy we inform you that the time of liberation is near. Our people will soon return to their homes and our voice, the voice of the Jewish community of Moscow, will be heard again, in the near future, from Moscow, that city which surprised the whole world with its heroic struggle and victory.

“From the heart of the U.S.S.R. we shall, with God’s help, again represent religious Soviet Jewry and establish contact in its name with the Jews of all the world. And now on the threshold of the New Year we send you from Tashkent our warm greetings and hearty wishes that in the coming year our united armies shall bring the long-awaited release to suffering mankind, that the enemy shall finally disappear from the face of the earth, that the day which is breaking over the world shall turn into a beautiful morning and the voice of God, the voice of justice and law, shall drown forever the Satanic calls of the enemies of mankind.

“We wish that the coming year will be for all of us a year of splendid victory, a year of good fortune, a year of great achievements in which will be completely realized the beautiful words of our New Year prayer, ‘Be still you prosecutor Take his place, Defender!'”

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