The Ukrainian Central Executive Committee has ordered its attorney-general to establish how many local soviets had closed synagogues and churches without the sanction of the local government. Those found guilty of such closings will be tried for disobeying the government’s orders which declared that no place of worship should be converted unless the Central Executive Committee approved of it.
The Committee’s order establishes the fact that in several Ukrainian regions the local authorities interfered with religious life and closed synagogues without first asking for the proper permission from the Central Executive Committee. The order also indicates a tendency towards moderation in religious matters.
The official “Isvestzia” today editorially demands that the removal of church bells in the collectivized regions be discontinued and the people left in peace with their religion.
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.
