Congress Hears Protests on Soviet Treatment of Russian Jews

The House of Representatives was told today that Soviet authorities were putting pressure on the Jews in Russia to disavow Israel and to organize protests against the Jewish State and the United States Government was urged to counter Soviet exploitation of the racial disturbances in a number of American cities by letting the world know the full story of Soviet treatment of the Jewish minority in the Soviet Union.

Rep. Seymour Halpern, New York Republican, told the House today that the Soviet press had “exploited racial disturbances in Detroit, Newark and other U.S. cities by misrepresentations on the issue of minority rights in America.” He said “the world should know the full story of how the Kremlin has cruelly and cynically taken vengeance against Russian Jewry because Israel defeated the Soviet-instigated Arab war.”

Rep. Robert Sikes, Florida Democrat, speaking of pressures on Russian Jews, said that “it is not difficult to remember the harsh treatment of the Jews in other days when Russian rulers encouraged pogroms against the Jews.” He said that “Russia has much to gain by allowing greater freedom of expression among its Jewish citizens.” He said many of Russia’s three million Jews would like to emigrate and, “of course, Israel is high on the list of preferred countries.”