Soviet Jews Arrive in Israel; Report Thaw in Soviet Attitude Toward Emigration

A large group of Soviet Jews who arrived in Israel today said there was a noticeable thaw in the Russian attitude toward visa applicants and in the treatment of emigrating Jews by Soviet authorities. The number of new arrivals was not immediately disclosed. They included a group of Jews from Riga, Latvia, who reported that the head of the Ovir (visa office) there was removed from his post because he had mistreated a Jewish woman who came to inquire about her visa application. (In Washington, State Department spokesman Charles Bray confirmed today that there has been “some increase” in emigration of Soviet Jewry, though not as much as reported in the general press. He called the increase “a positive sign.”) Other newcomers reported that Soviet officials behaved more politely to visa applicants than hitherto. A group from Vilna, Lithuania, said that for the first time they were treated correctly by officials. The Jews reported that applicants whose visa requests had been turned down were being advised by authorities to apply again. In some cases, applica- tions more than a year old were being reconsidered, they said. The incident in Riga involved Mrs. Feign Simakova who was part of a group of 30 Jews who went to the local Ovir recently to inquire about the fate of their visa applications. According to a report received by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week, Mrs. Simakova was insulted by an official named Kaija and was jailed for ten days. The arrivals from Riga today did not mention a jailing.