Nine Jews were sentenced to death and 10 others were given long prison terms in two separate mass trials in the Ukraine, all charged with “economic crimes,” according to press dispatches from Moscow received here today.
Six of the Jews sentenced to death were charged with “illegal financial operations,” and three others with “corruption and handling stolen property,” the dispatch reported.
In one of the cases, illegal financial operations were allegedly committed in Kharkov, involving 10, 000, 000 rubles and “large quantities of gold, platinum, diamonds, watches and other precious objects.” In the second case, the charges alleged, five directors of a manufacturing plant at Ivano Frankovsk had produced extra merchandise, valued at more than 2, 000, 000 rubles, selling the stuff in the black market through assistants.
Jewish circles here today took a very grave view of these latest mass persecutions of Jews, seeing in the trials another instance in which Soviet authorities have made Jews the scapegoats for the regime’s financial difficulties.
(In Washington, National Commander Morton London, of the Jewish War Veterans of the U. S. A, today made known his organization feels that not enough is being done in the United States to challenge rising Soviet action against Jews. He called for a vigorous campaign coinciding with the opening of the new session of Congress. Mr. London said the JWV was planning a campaign against new anti-Semitic manifestations in Russia “through all available means.”)
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