The National Conference on Soviet Jewry reported that It received a letter today from a Soviet Jewish activist currently being detained In Mental Hospital #1 outside Moscow. The letter, which was smuggled out of the Soviet Union, was written by Illyia Belau, 27. Six months ago Belau and his family had been granted an exit visa, which was then cancelled because of Belau’s alleged “bad behavior” during Passover at the Moscow synagogue, according to the NCSJ. In the hospital, Belau is confined to his room and has no contact with his relatives. Richard Maass, NCSJ chairman, said that Belau’s detention “Is a direct result of his outspoken desire co be a Jew.”
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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.
