In a televised New Year’s Day greeting broadcast in the Soviet Union, President Reagan addressed American concerns about human rights, but did not specifically mention the plight of Soviet Jews denied permission to emigrate.
“As you know, we Americans are concerned about human rights, including freedom of speech, press, worship and travel,” Reagan said. “Silence is a falsehood. We will always speak out on behalf of human dignity.”
Reagan also gave Soviet viewers a look at how Chanukah and Christmas are celebrated in the United States — a look that may have surprised Americans, as well as their Jewish and non-Jewish counterparts in the Soviet Union.
“Most of us celebrate Christmas or Chanukah,” the president said, then added: “As part of those celebrations we go to church or synagogue, then gather around the family dinner table. After giving thanks for our blessings, we share a traditional holiday meal of goose, turkey or roast beef, and exchange gifts.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
