Jewish Congress Reports on Treatment of Minorities in Russi

A report on the treatment of Jews and ##tional minorities in the Soviet Union was issued today by the World Jewish ## Institute of Jewish Affairs emphasizing that since the arrest of Lavrenti P. ## Soviet Russia’s former No. 2 offcial, who will shortly go on trial for his ## Kremlin has adopted a severe policy against its national minorities.The report points out that “despite the fact that the Communists procla## ‘equality and sovereignty’ of all peoples living in the former Russian Emp## back as 1917, and promulgated laws guaranteeing national minorities and ## groups the right of free development and the privilege of using their own ## languages–principles which are re-stated in the Soviet Constitution of 193? policies were always aimed ultimately at eliminating differences and forci## lation upon the nation’s 150 large and small nationalities and tribes.”

The Soviet policy toward its Jewish minority has differed somewhat fr## policy toward other minority groups in that the Jews did not possess their ## ritory and did not all use a common language, the report says. The Soviet ## barked upon the persecution of Jewish religious schools, banned the teach##. Hebrew, and ruthlessly began to suppress all expressions of Zionist aspi## WJC stresses, adding that Jewish community life is today considered “de## Soviet Union. As evidence of this, the report cites: “the impossiblity of## books and newspapers in Yiddish, the absence of Jewish schools and coll## struction in Jewish history and theology, the limitation on the use of the ## language and the proscription of Hebrew.”