Sen. Kenneth B. Keating, New York Republican, charged today in a Senate speech that it has become evident that anti-Jewish persecution in the Soviet Union is “a deliberate act on the part of the Communist Central Government to find scapegoats for an economic system that is full of flaws.”
Through the crackdown on so-called “black-marketers,” Sen. Keating said, the Russians were “trying to put all the blame on a small minority, when the failure of Communist planning, Communist management, and the very ability of the Communist economic system to meet modern industrial needs, is involved.”
The Senator urged a United Nations Human Rights Commission investigation of human rights in the Soviet Union. He held that both the Soviet and former Czarist regimes turned upon the Jews as scapegoats. He said Russia deserved “the condemnation of all civilized peoples and nations.”
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.