Rabbi Gilbert Klaperman, chairman of the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry, cautioned today against misunderstanding of the current plight of Soviet Jews. He welcomed Gov. Rockefeller’s reassurances that Soviet Jewry was, in fact, discussed by President Nixon during his Moscow talks. “That many more Jews have been allowed to emigrate during this year than ever before is a fact. However, we must not lose sight of the tens of thousands of Soviet Jews whose applications for exit visas are being denied or the young people who continue to languish in Soviet prisons,” he added.
“A particularly harsh sentence,” continued Rabbi Klaperman, “was meted out only last week to Vladimir Markman, whose only crime was his desire to emigrate to Israel. The Soviets continue to isolate Jews by cutting off their telephones and jamming foreign broadcasts. The upcoming trials of Glezer Lubarsky, Skolnik and Berman underscore the need for continued vigilance and increased activities on behalf of Soviet Jews.”
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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.