Moscow’s synagogues were crowded during the first day of Passover, and seders were performed throughout the city by religious Jews without any anti-religious interference. The Jewish Communists limited themselves to the three peaceful anti-Passover meetings in different parts of the city, but they fully obeyed the government’s orders to avoid any disturbance. Those who are not religious, worked as usual and many were even unaware that it was Passover, because the Jewish Communist press carefully avoided any mention of the date, and a Jewish calendar is unobtainable here.
Altogether, neither Passover nor anti-Passover was particularly felt in Moscow, but in the provinces, where religious sentiment is stronger, things were different. Judging from preliminary reports from Minsk, Odessa and the smaller towns, the Jewish artisans were not working. In Kiev, however, thousands of Jewish needle trades workers went to their jobs as usual.
Reports from White Russia indicate that in a number of small towns, the Jews held a seder first and then attended anti-religious meetings. Yesterday’s Moscow “Emes” does not mention Passover, which compared with its attitude in previous years, is a revolutionary about-face, indicating that the editor received definite instructions not to slander religion.
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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.
