American Jewry was urged to help the Berlin committee in supplying matzoth to Russian Jews for the forthcoming Passover, in a statement made by Rabbi Schneursohn, the Lubwatischer Rebbe, to the correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Rabbi Schneursohn arrived here from Riga for the purpose of supervising hte work of the Central Committee organized for the purpose of sending matzoth to Russia. “The fifty carloads of matzoth allowed by the Soviet government to be shipped to Russia, can only be sent if sufficient funds are supplied by Jews in various countries, especially America,” the rabbi stated. “The cost of the fifty carloads would be $50,000, and so far only a part of this sum has been collected.”
“When the matzoth reach Russia, they will be distributed in different cities, with the permission of the Soviet government” the Lubawitscher Rebbe stated. “If we do not succeed in supplying Russian Jews with matzoth they will be compelled to suffer for eight days.”
An appeal to the Jews of America to provide funds for supplying Russian Jews with matzoth for the coming Passover holiday was issued by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis yesterday.
“The sum of $20,000 has already been raised by European Jews for this purpose. American Jews must do their share,” the appeal states. “We must give toward the fifty carloads of matzoth which the Soviet government is permitting to be shipped into the country.”
The Union of Orthodox Rabbis is cooperating with the committee organized in Germany.
The Union also stated that the shipment of individual packages of matzoth (Continued on Page 4)
(Continued from Page 1) weighing eleven pounds would be permitted, if they did not assume the character of mass shipments. Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, secretary of the Agudath Ha’Rabonim in making public the appeal, advocated that American Jews contribute toward the fund since it is possible that small packages, though shipped individually, would accumulate at various distribution points in Russia.
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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.
