Relatives of Soviet Jews now serving terms in labor camps have sent a cable to Victor Hochhauser, the London Jewish impresario who arranged for a tour in Britain of the Moscow State Circus, denouncing him for “helping Russian propaganda” which “aims to divert attention from the persecution of Soviet Jews,” a Jewish group reported today. The Committee of 35 released here the text of the to the impresario. It was signed by Abraham Zalmanson, uncle of Silva Zalmanson Kuznetsov, and of Isak Zalmanson, Wulf Zalmanson, and Edward Kuznetsov; and by Sara and Pinchas Khanokh, brother and sister of Leib Khanokh. The cable said “we are outraged to discover that you are helping Russian propaganda among the British public, which aims to divert attention from the persecution of Soviet Jews by inviting to Britain their artists as a means for making world public opinion forget that our relatives and friends are being held under inhuman conditions in Soviet concentration camps where they are subjected to starvation and forced to do work beyond human strength for the sole reason that they have expressed a desire to go and live in Israel.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.