Two hundred students demonstrated peacefully in front of the Soviet Embassy here today demanding the right of emigration for Soviet Jews who want to go to Israel. Two of the demonstrators were received by the press attache of the Embassy who spoke to them for 15 minutes but refused to accept a letter and a petition addressed to the Ambassador.
The demonstration was organized by the Universities Committee for Soviet Jewry. The demonstrators passed out leaflets containing a plea for emigration from 18 Jewish families in the Soviet Georgian Republic and a letter written by Boris Kochubievsky, a Russian-Jewish engineer now serving a prison term for allegedly criticizing Soviet treatment of the Jews.
The two students admitted to the Embassy–Colin Shindler and Philip Marcus–reported that they were told by the press attache that the Soviet Government does not encourage emigration to Israel and therefore rejected applications by Jews. They said the official terminated the interview when they began to question him and asked them not to visit the Embassy in the future.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
