Moscow refusniks Boris and Natasha Katz, whose sick infant daughter, Jessica, became a cause celebre, have received exit visas to rejoin her mother and brother in the United States, according to the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry and the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D. Mass.) was promised their emigration during a visit to the USSR in September, but permission came only now. The Katzes were told they must leave the USSR by Dec. 4. Jessica suffered from a malabsorption syndrome, which made her unable to ingest anything but Pregestinil, an American formula brought in by tourists. The Katzes’ plight was brought to public attention by the Boston-based Action for Soviet Jewry.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
