The Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry reported today that 11 of the 12 Torah scrolls in the Leningrad synagogue have been “stolen,” the twelfth scroll desecrated, and the ark vandalized. “All indications are that this ‘robbery’ was in fact a deliberate removal by Soviet authorities of the most sacred object and strongest symbol just before the High Holy Days,” the SSSJ stated. This, combined with the recent death of the venerable and sainted Rabbi Chaim Lubanov (the Rabbi of Leningrad) is indeed a serious blow to Soviet Jews.” The SSSJ called on all “fair-minded people to demand of Soviet authorities the immediate return of the scrolls before they are damaged or destroyed.” Rabbi Lubanov, Leningrad’s only rabbi, died Aug. 20 at the age of 95.
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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.
