Passover Vigil for Soviet Jewry Held in 16 U.S. Cities; Continues All Night

Thirty-eight Jewish communal, religious and youth organizations from every part of New York, joined by many prominent civic leaders representing the state and city, held a Passover Vigil for Soviet Jewry here today. Similar vigils were held in 15 other cities throughout the United States.

The New York vigil was a 24-hour event which started yesterday after sundown with a Havdalah service, after which Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry, addressed an open-air rally. It continued through the night, when about 75 youths held an all-night “pray-in.” It was concluded with ceremonies late this afternoon, with addresses by prominent personalities and the formal signing of a proclamation, carrying thousands of signatures, to be presented to Soviet Government and United Nations officials, calling upon the Soviet Government to end discriminatory regulations and practices directed at Soviet Jewry in the religious, educational, social and economic fields, and to permit the emigration of Jews who wish to leave the Soviet Union for the purpose of family reunifications.

During the daylight hours today, the number of participants varied between several hundred and several thousand, the crowd increasing considerably during the afternoon. The proceedings were held in Hammarskjold Plaza, a park-like area facing the United Nations complex, where a “Freedom Tent” flanked a platform from which addresses were delivered.

Among those who addressed the closing rally this afternoon were Rep. Jonathan Bingham, New York Democrat, who is sponsoring a Congressional resolution in behalf of Soviet Jewry; New York City Building Commissioner Charles G. Moerdler, representing Mayor Lindsay; David Ross, vice-chairman of New York’s City Council; the Rev. Charles Thorne, representing the Protestant Council of New York; Norman Thomas, the Socialist leader, representing the International League for the Rights of Man; and Dr, Jacob Sable, director of the New York State Office of Economic Opportunity.

Rabbi Jacob Goldberg, chairman of the New York Coordinating Committee of the Passover Vigil for Soviet Jewry, said similar rallies were held today in Atlanta, Boston, Camden, N.J., Charleston, S.C., Cincinnati, Detroit, Hartford, Conn., Highland Park, III., Indianapolis, Newark, N.J., New Brunswick, N.J., New Orleans, Springfield, Mass., Utica and Waterbury, Conn.

(The Associated Press reported today from the Soviet port city of Odessa, which once had about 90 synagogues, that there is only one synagogue existing today in the city, where an estimated quarter of a million Jews still live. The synagogue has a rabbi, Israel B. Szwargsblatt, who is 54 years old, but it has no prayer books. It has 800 seats, but on high holidays as many as 10,000 worshipers seek entrance there. The report quoted Jewish sources in the Soviet Union as stating that Kiev, the capital of Soviet Ukraine, where 250,000 Jews reside, has no rabbi. Nor are there rabbis in Riga, capital of Soviet Latvia, where 30, 000 Jews live; in Kishinev, capital of Soviet Moldavia, with 100, 000 Jews; and Vilna, capital of Soviet Lithuania, where 5, 000 Jews reside.)