Protests voiced by the Jewish community here against Soviet anti-Semitism were accepted today with “appreciation” by the United States Department of State, and rejected by the Soviet Embassy in Washington.
The Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Boston had addressed the protests to the Soviet Embassy in Washington and sent a copy to the White House. A response from the USSR Embassy’s first secretary, Anatoli G. Myshkov, stated that “acceptance of your letter is hereby refused.” Mr. Myshkov denied there was any anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union, attributed reports of such a policy to persons who wish “to impede and worsen relations” between the U.S.A. and the USSR, and offered to furnish the “true facts” about the situation of Jewry in the Soviet Union.
On the other hand, a letter from Robert J. Manning, Assistant Secretary of State, said that the White House had turned over the Boston Jewish community’s letter for a reply, adding: “We appreciate receiving comments and suggestions from the American people on the subject of our foreign relations.” Accompanying Mr. Manning’s letter was a State Department background paper, summarizing the facts about the Soviet Union’s “long-term anti-religious campaign” which, it stated, “has grown in intensity over the past several years, and all religions, including the Jewish religion, are being subjected to increasing restrictions, forms of interference and negative social pressures.”
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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.
