to the USSR
JTA Editor Emeritus Boris Smolar Reports on His Mission
fate of my Jewish compatriot. I

(Editor's Note: This is the first the various Jewish delegations
of a series of columns by Boris from the United States who had
Smolar, editor-in-chief emeritus of visited the country. I talked to at
the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, fol- least 200 Jews. They were of v ari-
lowing his return from a three- ous professions and of various
week visit to the Soviet Union
ages. Among them were uni-
where he studied various aspects
of Jewish life there. He talked to versity students, writers, holders
numerous Jews of all ages, discuss- of government positions, office
ed problems of Soviet Jewry with workers, cultural workers, both
high Soviet officials, and was per- men and women. Also religious
mitted to visit Soviet institutions Jews and even Jews who insisted
to which entrance is restricted even on conversing with me in Hebrew.
for Soviet citizens, including the
I succeeded in discussing the
State Library in Leningrad — the
third largest in the world — where Soviet stand on Israel with high
the Soviet Government trains officials — and Israel is an "ugly
young men in Hebrew for state word" today in the Soviet Union,
purposes. The library is closed to which people seek to avoid even
the public, but scientists are ad- in private conversations—and was
mitted there by special permission
for research work. Smolar also given revealing information. I na-
visited the Leningrad Synagogue, turally discussed with Soviet
the largest and most beautiful Jew- spokesmen the question of anti-
ish house of worship built in Czar- Semitism in the Soviet Union, dis-
ist times by the St. Petersburg crimination against Jewish youth
Jewish community, and witnessed in universities, suppression of Jew-
the demonstration by about 12,000 ish culture, inequality in the treat-
Jewish youths in front of the Mos-
cow synagogue on Simhats Tora ment of the Jewish religion, re-
union of Jewish families through
evening.)
emigration and other delicate sub-
• s •

thorities, I emphasized that I came
primarily to study the status of
Jews in the USSR and intended to
write about it. In speaking Russian
I did not try to pose as a Russian.
I always made it a point to start
the conversation by informing the
people with whom I spoke that I
was an American interested in
taking a look at the situation of
Soviet Jewry from the "inside."
Some Jews were hesitant to talk
to me when they learned that I
was a Russian-speaking American.
Others, on the other hand, were
very frank in talking to me. They
welcomed the fact that they could
converse with me in Russian since
most of them knew no English.
This was especially true of the
Jewish youngsters. They do not
understand Yiddish either, so my
talking to them in Russian bridged
the gap between us.
* * *
HEBREW IN MOSCOW: Some of
the elderly Jews I met were ex-
tremely cautious at the beginning
of our talks. With them, my com-
mand of Russian worked the other
way around. Obviously they did not
trust me at the beginning because
of my fluent Russian, although
they were told that I was an Amer-
ican Jew. To them, any Soviet in-
telligence agent may pose as an
American Jew who speaks Rus-
sian.
At least two such Jews—one in
Moscow and one in Kiev—tested
me by asking me in Hebrew wheth-
er I also spoke Hebrew. When my
answer was "yes," they began to
speak -to me in Hebrew. It was a
poor Hebrew but very understand-
able. After conversing with them
for a time in Hebrew, I suggested
that it might be easier for them to
talk to me in Yiddish. Each of
them rejected the suggestion. "It is
so seldom that we have a chance
to converse in Hebrew," was their
argument for insisting on using
Hebrew as the language of our
conversation.
Only upon my landing at the
Leningrad airport—my first stop on
Soviet soil—I did insist on speaking
English. There was a reason for
it. With Soviet border officials it is
always better not to show that you
understand Russian. They usually
become suspicious when they hear

.

you speaking Russian. The formal-
ities are dispensed with much easier
when you speak English, if you are
an American.
There were only two American
passengers on the Soviet plane
which brought us from Stockholm
to. Leningrad. While I spoke in
English to the uniformed Soviet
officials who examined my pass-
port, the other American passenger
—a Brooklyn Jew--chose to show
off his knowledge of the Russian
language. The result was that I had
no difficulties whatsoever with the
passport and custom authorities,
while he had a terrible time with
them. They examined in detail,
evey piece of luggage he had.
I was determined to wait for him
until the examination of his lug-
gage was over, but the Soviet men
in uniform insisted that I didn't
They ordered the taxi driver who
took my valise into his cab to
drive off at once. He did so, with-
out a murmur of protest, despite
the fact he was expecting the other
American to be his passenger also,
since both of us were assigned to
the same hotel.
I felt a little disturbed over the

did not know his name. Upon
reaching the hotel, I waited at the
registration desk for him for about
an hour. He did not appear. This
gave me a restless night. However,
I saw him the next morning at the
restaurant in the hotel where he
was having his breakfast. He was
miserable, and wished he bad not
spoken to the passport examiner
in Russian.

They wanted to know how
he knew Russian, and were
especially interested to know
whether he had any relatives in
Russia. When he answered that he
had, and that the entire purpose of
his trip was to visit his relatives,
they insisted on having
the names and addresses of the
relatives, and asked him quite a
lot of questions. They were even
more rude to him when they no-
ticed that his passport carried
visas showing that he had been
in Israel — something which they
made no fuss about when they saw
Israeli entrance and exist visas in
my passport, apparently because
my passport indicated that I was
a professional journalist.

jects on which I found the Soviet
regime to be very sensitive. I even
had a chance to spend several
I admit that I left New York for hours with Arab students who are
my trip to the Soviet Union with a being trained in Moscow for mili-
heavy heart. I had been warned by tary purposes and was invited by
friends not to make the trip at a them to visit their dormitory. They
time when American-Soviet rela- spoke
perfect Russian and very
English.
tions were twit at their best. Those
I was invited to private Jewish
who advised me against visiting homes for dinner and I also had
the Soviet Union advanced several drinks with Soviet writers, some
reasons. First, they thought it of whom presented me with their
would not be wise for me to pro- books inscribed "in friendship." I
mostly
ceed to Moscow alone — nor in a was
among
12,000
Jews,
young
students
— boy
and girls —
group. On their mind was the dis- who crowded the Moscow syna-
appearance and death of Charles gogue — and the entire block on
Will be Sold at $17.50
Jordan, executive vice chairman which the synagogue is situated—
Simhat
Tora
evening,
present-
of the Joint Distribution Commit- .
ing an unforgettable scene of mer-
tee, during his visit, to Prague.
riment within the synagogue dur-
Then they argued it would be ing the "Hakofes" and dancing the
Until
dangerous for me to visit the hora outside the synagogue until
Jan. 31, '69
Soviet Union with my American after midnight under a torrential
passport showing that I often visit autumn rain which did not, how-
NOW . . . AVAILABLE ONLY AT
Israel which is now constantly be- ever, have any effect on their
ing blasted in the Soviet press and joljly mood.
radio—and also by Soviet delegates
HEBREW BOOK &
What helped me very much in my
to the United Nations — as an mission was the knowledge of the
GIFT CENTER
"enemy" state. They also pointed Russian language. Also the fact
out that my name was well-known that my name was known to some
542-7520
24900 COOLIDGE Cor. 10 MILE
to the Moscow authorities as a authors and editors in Leningrad
IN THE DEXTER DAVISON SHOPPING CENTER
journalist who for years has been and Moscow, as well as the fact
OPEN SAT. NIGHT — ALL DAY SUNDAY
criticizing the Soviet government that when speaking to Soviet au-
for its discrimination against Jews
in the Soviet Union as well as for
its stand against Iarael.
All of these arguments made
sense. However, the fact that I
was granted the Soviet visa within
three days of my application
tempted me to take a chance. I
knew I would be watched in the
Soviet Union — and it turned out
later that I was right in this as-
sumption—but I did not intend to
do anything in Russia that could
be construed as illegal and I have
also been used to taking risks dur-
ing my 50 years of journalistic
work. I risked my life in Palestine,
when I flew there during the Arab
riots against Jews in the "Mev-
raot" years, when the British ad-
ministration there imposed curfews
in Jerusalem and other cities. I
risked my life to work in Nazi
Germany for quite a time as the
only Jewish journalist, irritating
the Nazis to a point where they
finally ordered me and my wife
deported "as persons whose pres-
Guest Speaker
Guest of Honor
ence in the Reich is harmful to the
state." And I have risked working
in the Soviet Union as an American
correspondent in the years before
at the
the United States granted diplo-
matic recognition to Moscow; when
there was no American Embassy
in the Soviet Union to protect me
as an American citizen.
So I decided to take a risk again
now.
* * *
DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANTS:
DELICATE DISCUSSIONS: The
risk turned out to be worthwhile. I
Rabbi James I. Gordon
Rabbi Milton Arm - Cantor Shabtai Ackerman
Phillip
Stollman
think it is correct to state that
during the three weeks of my stay
ROBERT BRODY,
General Chairman
in the Soviet Union—visiting Lenin-
grad, Moscow and Kiev — I met
Chanukah music by ERIC ROSENOW and his Continentals
For Reservations:
with more Jews than any of

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright 1968, JTA Inc.)

JUST OFF THE PRESS!

ABBA EBAN'S

"MY PEOPLE"

THE STORY OF THE JEWS

nso.

SPECIAL PRICE

SPITZER'S

LAST REMINDER

MINISTER PINCHAS SAPIR

JAN PEERCE

DR. JACOB E. GOLDMAN

ISRAEL CHANUKAH DINNER

Thursday, December 19, 196&-7 P.M.

Grand Ballroom, Cobo. Hall

THE DETROIT {EWAN NEWS
6—Friday, DecandfdP15/ 1 9118:'

D I 1-5707

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$6.50 per perwn, Dietary Laws Observed
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