The American Jewish Congress and the American Civil Liberties Union today hailed as a victory for free speech a decision by the Federal District Court allowing young people to enter the Field Museum here wearing T shirts bearing the words “Save Soviet Jews.” Federal Judge Hubert L. Will issued an order restraining the Field Museum of Natural History from denying admission to the plaintiffs to any public part of the museum, specifically including the exhibit titled “Soviet Union: Arts and Crafts in Ancient Times and Today.”
Earlier two different groups of synagogue youths were turned away on the claim that their T shirts “constituted a form of political protest and the exhibit was non-political.” In issuing the order, the court upheld the constitutional right of the individuals to wear articles of clothing publicizing messages with which the museum and exhibitors may disagree. Officials said a permanent injunction may be sought.
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.