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Correspondence

Sep. 9, 1969

Letter to Mayor Lindsay about UN March for Soviet Jewry (1969)

Soviet Jewry
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Speech

Speech by Mayor John V. Lindsay - Soviet Jewry Protest (1969)

Rabbi Lamm, Mr. Riseman, Senator Goldin, Theodore Bikel, Ladies and Gentlemen: Tonight should be a time of celebration – for the Jewish community of New York, and of the world. Yet we meet tonight in sorrow – and we meet in anger, too.Tonight we should be gathering to mark our rejoicing over the Laws of God, enriched by the work of man. Yet we gather here to speak out – to speak against a continuing, unjustifiable insidious desecration of one of the supreme laws of the spirit – the right to worship our God by the dictates of our conscience.Tonight, even as we meet, thousands of Jews will gather in the streets of Moscow -- to worship, to sing, to express their own sense of joy. We gather in freedom - they do not. For the Soviet Union has made clear that it does not intend to permit its Jewish community to nurture its traditions and to survive. And thus these brave men and women celebrate their faith at great risk. We are here tonight to let them know that we stand with them in the streets of Moscow -- and we stand with them in their struggle to remain free in spirit.We know the burden they bear. Their cultural heritage is threatened by official sanction and hidden intimidation -- they are effectively forbidden to develop schools, federations, journals, the whole range of tools for the preservation of a rich cultural heritage -- a heritage which lives and thrives today in every part of this city and this country. We know, too, that by heavy-handed persecution of Jewish writers and thinkers, the Soviet State has raised an unmistakable warning - a warning which says that to remain a free Jew in Russia is to put your career and your freedom in jeopardy.The courage of the Soviet Union’s Jewish community, in the face of this threat of cultural genocide, is inspiring. They have raised their voices in protest; they have publicly asked for their rights; and tonight, in celebration of the Law of God and man, they will in effect be saying "no" to the threat of state-sanctione…
Soviet Jewry

Correspondence

Letter to Senator Muskie about UN March for Soviet Jewry (1969)

Dear Senator Muskie: The New York Conference on Soviet Jewry, a coordinating committee of the local New York chapters of the major national Jewish organizations, will be conducting a demonstration for Soviet Jewry on Thursday, October 2nd, at 6:30 P.M., at the United Nations. The demonstration, which will be called a Simchat Torah Celebration, will be held to express solidarity with the young people in the Soviet Union, who each year have been congregating at the large synagogues in Moscow and Leningrad, to dance on this joyous holiday, as an expression of their Jewish identity.We would be most honored if you would lend the prestige of your office and your name to our program and deliver the major address. We hope your schedule can be so arranged, and would appreciate it greatly if you could let us know as soon as possible, so that we can make the necessary arrangements for our publicity and for invitations for the thousands of people who will be there.If there is any additional information that you require, please contact me at my office — (212) PL 1-4000. Thank you.Sincerely,Rabbi Norman Lamm, ChairmanN.Y. Conference on Soviet JewryDavid Geller, CoordinatorN.Y. Conference on Soviet Jewry
Soviet Jewry

Correspondence

Letter to Mayor Lindsay Soliciting His Endorsement for Soviet Jewry Campaign (1969)

Dear Mr. Lindsay, The American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry is undertaking a major campaign to obtain signatures or endorsements of Governors and Mayors on the enclosed statement on behalf of Soviet Jewry. The purpose of this campaign is to draw nation-wide attention by simultaneous publication of the statement in various parts of the country timed with Human Rights Day on December 10th, which this year falls during the holiday of Chanuka, which commemorates an ancient victory over oppression.We know that you are no stranger to this cause. Your appearance and eloquent speech at the Rally on October 2nd at the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza was only one of many times in which you have spoken out or performed some particular service on this tragic issue. We would hope, therefore, that you would lend your personal endorsement and the prestige of your office to this campaign.We visualize the proclamation being read at a public ceremony in your office or at a press conference during the week of December 7th, preferably on Human Rights Day, December 10th. Several representatives of the various New York-based Jewish organizations should be present.As Chairman of the New York Conference on Soviet Jewry, I would promise my assistance in any way that would make the ceremony as smooth-running as possible.We await, hopefully, your affirmative reply.Sincerely,David Geller, CoordinatorN.Y. Conference on Soviet JewryRabbi Norman Lamm, ChairmanN.Y. Conference on Soviet Jewry
Soviet Jewry