Soviet authorities have prohibited the import of matzoh and other special Passover supplies addressed by the Chief Rabbinate here to Jewish communities in the USSR, it was learned here today.
According to the Chief Rabbinate, a local agency specializing in exports from this country to the Soviet Union was notified several weeks ago that 200 packages of matzoh and other religious supplies would be sent to the Soviet Union.The agency, Peltours, seemed evasive on whether it would accept the shipment and finally, last week, notified the Chief Rabbinate that the shipment would not be accepted on the grounds that the import of religious articles into the Soviet Union is not permitted.
The Chief Rabbinate asked the Soviet Embassy here for an explanation but, as of today no rely has been received from the Russian Embassy. Last fall, shipments of religious supplies for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles were also rejected by Soviet authorities.
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.