Soviet authorities yesterday denied emphatically that the former Chief Rabbi of Leningrad, Rabbi Simon Lazarew, died in prison, as the Warsaw rabbinate was informed on Nov. 6. They stated that Rabbi Lazarew had not been arrested for religious propaganda, but for other reasons.
Rabbi Lazarew was freed from prison over a year ago and permitted to return to Leningrad, where he died in his own home, Soviet authorities declared.
The Leningrad rabbi was arrested by the secret police on Feb. 26, 1930, and accused of maintaining illegal connections with rabbinical organizations abroad. On April 3, he was found guilty and sentenced to ten years imprisonment in a concentration camp.
As the Year Turns, Support the Journalism You Trust. JTA covers the stories shaping Jewish life around the world — with the depth this moment calls for. As you reflect on the year ahead, consider a gift that keeps independent Jewish journalism strong.
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.
