Four thousand worshippers jammed this city’s principal synagogue, which has an official capacity of 2,000, for Rosh Hashonah services.
Thousands of others crowded the street on the outside to follow the ceremony from loudspeakers. Three smaller Moscow synagogues and 25 in the suburbs were described as equally crowded.
The congregation in Moscow’s chief synagogue consisted mostly of the middle-aged or the elderly. Only a quarter of the worshippers were young people. The majority of the men did not wear prayer shawls but most of them had new prayer books, which were printed in Vilna. A few of the men, mainly railway officials, were wearing uniforms. The women in the gallery were fashionably clothed. During the service, many of the participants were emotionally stirred and burst into tears.
The service was conducted by Rabbi Samuel Shliffer. Present at the service was the head of the Moscow Jewish community, Samuel Chobrutzky, who is planning a visit to the United States.
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.
