New Soviet legislation makes Jewish religious and cultural life in the Soviet Union even harder than before, according to a study carried out by the Institute of Jewish Affairs.
Dr. S.J. Roth, the Institute’s director, draws this conclusion from an analysis of a revision of the 1929 law on religious associations, showing that registration of religious societies has become more difficult and that their right of appeal against appropriations of houses of prayer has been abolished. Funds for the maintenance of religious societies, which could previously be solicited anywhere, must now be collected only on the premises of the house of prayer.
Under the June 23, 1976 revision, advance special permission is required “for each individual occasion” for the holding of religious services in private homes. As there are fewer than 70 synagogues in the Soviet Union, Jews had relied heavily on “minyanim” in private homes. The restriction would apply even for prayers in the house of a mourner or for circumcision ceremonies held at home.
Similarly, religious education, formerly available on authorized “courses,” is now permitted only in “ecclesiastical educational institutions.” These restrictions, the study concludes, will make difficult any attempt “to direct the newly awakened Jewish consciousness towards the synagogues or Judaism at large.”
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