Some 500 Jews took part in Passover services yesterday at the Moscow Central Synagogue, according to reports from the Soviet capital. However, many of the city’s militant Jews refused to attend the officially sanctioned services which some termed a sop by the government in an effort to deflect criticism by Jews in the Soviet Union and abroad regarding the oppression of Soviet Jews. A Soviet television crew filmed the service which was attended mostly by old men. The television director said the film was intended for transmission abroad but would not be shown on Soviet television.
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