Jewish sources in the Soviet Union said today that while they appreciate the efforts of some US Congressmen to get the Voice of America to institute Yiddish language broadcasts beamed to Jews in the USSR, “It is Hebrew we are studying, not Yiddish; Yiddish belongs to the past.” The sources referred to reports that Rep. Edward Koch (D.N.Y.) and 15 other members of the House of Representatives have said they may vote against VOA appropriations if it continues to refuse to inaugurate Yiddish broadcasts.
The statement which reached here today was attributed to Jewish sources in the Soviet Union but did not identify those sources or indicate whether they represented the views of any substantial segment of Soviet Jews. The statement said:
“We deeply appreciate the sentiments behind the intervention of Mr. Koch and his friends. But he should realize that it is Hebrew we are studying and not Yiddish. Yiddish belongs to the past. Those of us who intend to go to Israel, and also many who don’t intend to go as yet, consider Hebrew the language of the Jewish people as well as of the Jewish State and of the Torah. We have a Yiddish monthly in Moscow and we ignore it because it represents a Jewish view which is sponsored by the authorities and totally unacceptable to us.” The monthly referred to apparently is Sovietish Heimland, edited by Aaron Vergelis.
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