The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of India said today it had been informed by the Israel Ministry for Religious Affairs that there was no truth in reports that Israeli religious authorities regard Jews of India as “impure.”
The Israel Ministry, in its cable, rejected allegations of a refusal to grant Jews from India licenses for marriage with members of other Jewish groups in Israel and asserted that such reports were unfounded and misleading. The Israel Ministry called the reports a “vicious and dangerous fabrication.”
Indian Jews have been reported to be disturbed by the reports which prompted anti-Israel editorials in newspapers in India and leaders of Indian Jewry have expressed indignation in letters to the press. Political sources here reportedly feel that the reports greatly damaged Indian sympathy for Israel and that the Israel Government should investigate the issue thoroughly to pinpoint the source of the reports.
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.
