One of Soviet Soyuz-5 Cosmonauts is Jewish, ‘london Jewish Chronicle’ Reports

The commander of the Soviet space-ship Soyuz-5 which was involved in the first space link-up, is a Jew, the London Jewish Chronicle reported in a front page story. According to the paper’s special correspondent on East European affairs, 34-year-old Lt. Col. Boris Volynov is the son of a Jewish mother, which makes him a Jew according to Soviet law and by Jewish religious law. His father’s nationality is not known. The Chronicle said that one strong indication of Volynov’s Jewish origin is the fact that the Soviet authorities reversed their practice of announcing the nationality of cosmonauts engaged in space exploration three months before the Soyuz-5 launching. The nationality of cosmonauts was always stressed in the past.