The fact that Soviet Jews are refused the right to travel, that they have been sentenced for attempting to escape, and that the life of the State of Israel is endangered with the help of Russian rockets and Soviet diplomats is more indicative of the true nature of the Russians than the illusion that real bridges can be built between the West and the East. This caution was addressed to his countrymen by Axel Springer, a leading German publisher in his newspaper, Die Welt, in spelling out the dangers in the arrangements being made by Chancellor Willy Brandt with the Soviet government and its satellite Eastern governments. The Soviets and their satellites, he concludes, can be judged best by their deeds, not by their promises. Springer added: “German ears most of all should have burned when the cry for help rang out for resistance to the trials of Russian Jews whose only crime was attempted escape in despair at an inhuman ban on their emigration.”
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
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.
