Dr. Tzilya Raitburd Mendzheritzky, a 54-year-old Moscow Jewish activist involved in the publication of the “samizdat” journal, “Jews in the USSR,” was detained and then released by the KGB and told that a case was being prepared against her on a charge of “anti-Soviet activity and agitation,” according to information received by the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.
Mendzheritzky was taken to Dmitrov, a city about 40 miles north of Moscow, and released after three days of interrogations and ordered to return for further questioning. Conviction on a charge of “anti-Soviet activity and agitation” can bring a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and five years in exile.
This is the second recent action against a participant in the publication of the underground chronicle. Igor Guberman, 43, an editor of “Jews in the USSR.” was arrested recently on what are believed to be trumped up charges of dealing in stolen religious icons. The arrest on Sept. 14 of Mendzheritzky followed a search of her apartment at the end of August in which a number of books and articles on Jewish culture and religion were confiscated. She was dismissed from the Institute of Geology where she had worked for 20 years soon after her daughters applied to emigrate.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
