Raiza Palatnik, the Odessa librarian who recently completed a two year prison sentence, has been exempted from paying the education head tax required of many Jews seeking to leave the Soviet Union. Miss Palatnik, who spoke to friends in Israel by telephone from Moscow last night, said she was given an exit visa and was notified that she would not have to pay the “ransom” fee demanded of her earlier. But she must leave the Soviet Union by Wednesday.
(The National Conference on Soviet Jewry said today in New York that 20 Jewish families in Moscow have received exit visas but have been billed between 18-30,000 rubles. They have filed requests for exemption. A group of Kiev Jews were told by the head of the local ovir (visa office) that their requests for visas would be taken up by a special committee scheduled to meet between Jan. 10-15, the NCSJ reported.)
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