The question raised by the Yiddish Communist press as to why the Soviet authorities permitted the importation of matzoth from abroad for the need of observant Russian Jews is still the subject of discussion in the Soviet press.
The “Nasha Gazeta” admits that objection may be raised in principle, but argues that in view of the present temporary bread difficulty, it would be senseless to oppose the importation of matzoth “which costs us nothing while relieving somewhat the flour shortage.” Moreover, the paper continues, foreign religious kehillahs pay the Soviet government a tariff.
The paper proposes, however, that during Passover week Jews using matzoth be prohibited from using bread books, thus effecting the economy of several hundred tons of bread.
The paper “Trud” criticises the “Nasha Gazeta” urging that the Communist principle is above all.
Reports received from Kiev and Nikolaiev and published in the Communist press state that Jewish workers in those cities have urged the Soviet authorities to stop the importation of matzoth.
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.
