Soviets Close Entrance to Jewish Graves, Prohibit Hebrew Inscriptions on Tombstones

The authorities in Riga, Latvia, closed the entrance to the Jewish mass graves at Rumboli at the end of May, Jewish sources reported here today. The authorities said the area was needed for “military exercises.” Twenty-one Jews of Riga, in a cable to the authorities, protested their being barred from the graves of loved ones. In Kiev, the Ukraine, the sources continued, the authorities have prohibited the use of Hebrew inscriptions on tombstones in the Jewish cemeteries. The sources also reported that the appeal of Raiza Palatnik, sentenced to three years for alleged anti-Soviet activities, was not heard as scheduled Aug. 5, not Oct. 5 as previously reported, but was postponed until two weeks from then. No reason for the delay was immediately available.