Authorities in the Soviet city of Tashkent, in Uzbekistan, are thwarting the attempt by local Jews to build a new synagogue within short walking distance of the observant members of Tashkent’s Jewish community, the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry reported today. The city’s present synagogue was damaged by an earthquake and is not usable. All churches and synagogues in the Soviet Union must be paid for by the congregations themselves and money was raised for a new building. But Tashkent authorities, the Conference reported, feel that the empty lot in the middle of town on which the Jews want to build is too close to a public school. The authorities have suggested that the new synagogue be built on the outskirts of the city. The Jewish community objects to the site proposed by the authorities because observant Jews, most of whom are old, would be unable to attend services, especially on the Sabbath and on holidays when they are prohibited from traveling. The local Jews have appealed to Moscow to change the decision on the site, but they have not yet received a reply, the Conference reported. Meanwhile, the Conference also reported that 60 Jews in Wilna, the capital of Lithuania, appealed in person to the Lithuanian Minister of the Interior to grant them permission to go to Israel. The Minister met with them and tried to reassure them that “in time” they would get permission. But he refused to give them any specific date or commitment.
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