A change of attitude on the part of the Soviet government towards Zionists in the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics was believed to have occurred when it was announced here today that by an order of the authorities 150 members of the dissolved He’Chalutz, Palestine pioneers organization, were freed from exile.
The 150 were arrested in 1926 and exiled to Siberia and Turkestan.
The correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learns that some of the pioneers will be permitted to emigrate to Palestine, while others will be ordered to settle in Tula, Woronezh, Samara, where they will remain under police control. The first ten Chaluzim will proceed to Palestine on June 7 and twelve others who worked in a Crimea colony will follow.
An indication of the changed attitude of the Soviet government was seen in the decision to issue passports to emigrate to Palestine to all Chaluzim who have undergone exile and punishment for a number of years. The members of the central committee of the He’Chalutz, Yehoshua. Altshuler and Zerubabel, who were exiled three years ago, were not released. It is believed they were transferred to Ural or Narin.
A report from Starodup states that the Gepu recently arrested twelve members of the former He’Chalutz.
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.
