A tense anti-Jewish atmosphere prevails in the Soviet Union, it was reported here today by Israeli sailors upon their return from Odessa, Black Sea port city, where the Israel ship Tzfonit unloaded a cargo of citrus fruits from the Jewish State.
The sailors said they were shadowed by Soviet secret servicemen from the moment they left the port for the city proper. Jews who only a year ago welcomed the same sailors with joy when their ship was anchored there, this time pretended that they did not even notice them. The synagogues, too, were nearly empty this time as compared with a large attendance a year ago, the sailors reported.
The Israel seamen also revealed that the Soviet port authorities even forbade them from contacting sailors from another Israel ship, “Hadar, ” which was anchored in Odessa at the same time. The entire evening press here features the reports of the sailors, the only foreign Jews who set foot on Soviet soil in the course of 1952, the year marked by outspoken propaganda against world Jewry and Zionism.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
