A senior physician at Hadassah Hospital said Sunday that a Jewish activist imprisoned in the Soviet Union is in serious danger of his life. Dr. Mordechai Poporozev made the diagnosis on the basis of a long telephone conversation with Galina Zlizonuk, wife of Alex Zlizonuk of Leningrad who is ill and confined to a Soviet labor camp.
The telephone call was initiated by Mapam MK Yair Tzaban who has “adopted” Zlizonuk and has been trying to secure his release. Zlizonuk was arrested a year ago on charges of teaching Hebrew to Jews in Leningrad, an activity banned under Soviet law. He was sentenced to three years in a labor camp.
Tzaban said several Western statesmen have offered to help gain freedom for Zlizonuk but at the moment his health is the major concern.
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.