The Phoenix Jewish news., 1961-12-22
(Another in a Series)
By BARBARA SCHWARTZ
downright, 1861, JTA)

II is Shabbas morning in Lenin-
grad. Shabbily garbed Russians
hurry up the broad street toward
the iron gates of the Shul. Some
reply to our greeting, Good
Shabbas," others barely nod. The
guide insists on joining us to see
the SERVICE" But we are five and
it is easy to separate in a tremen-
dous building-we are told the
Leningrad synagogue is the lar
gest in all Europe, seating 1000
people.
The men in our party leave us
at the foot of the stairs leading
to the women's balcony. There is
no way for the guide to keep track
of them. Upstairs we scatter
around the balcony. We estimate
the congregation at about $50 to
200.
The cantOr's voice is rich, tun
of pathos. He looks like the
Youngest Russian in the syna-
gogue. An elderly woman, as in
deed are all the balcOny's 30
occupants. leans toward us to re-
late that we should hear their
regular cantor whose voice rs
much better than the substitute
now conducting the service. Even
the rabbi is out of the city, she
adds.
We wait impatiently for the ser
vice to end. We can see our friends
carving on animated converSa-
tionS at both ends of the syna-
gogue, and we are anxious to find
out what is taking place. At long
last. the cantor raises the kiddush
cup. We go down the stairs to join
our party.
One of our men reports he was
warned as soon as he donned his
yarmulka that "'it is very difficult
to talk here-informers are every
where Another Russian, who
said he worked in a meat-process-
ing plant. attached himself to our
friend, telling him that everything
was very good for Jews, they
had enough siddurs, talaism, etc."
Our own observations indicated
otherwise, since many men were
sharing books and two-thirds did
not wear talaism. The man stuck
close-and no one else came near.
Finally, with the aid of an
other member of our party who
diverted him. our reporter man
aged to avoid the hanger-on and
joined another Jew who told him
1--WE can't talk here. TN meet
you eutside.'
In the shadow of the great syna-
gogue, this man pressed his ques-
tons. He knew little about what
was going on outside the U.S.S.R.
and his curiosity seemed insati-
able. Another question asked of
the men was if American Jews
practiced Bar Mitzvah and if there
were schools for the children.
While this was going on down.
stairs, one of our ladies was meet
ing another kind of Russian. A
woman in black hat (the only
one so formally" dreSSed) Sidled
up, saying she had favor to ask.
She wanted money, claiming "it
is very bad for the Jews" When
her request for cash was turned
down, she went on to add that the
Jews inform on one another and
that "we lost our gabbi that way"
Another woman, overhearing
this, became very agitated, de-
manding to know where do you
come from-we never see you in
shul." While the woman in the
black hat stoutly maintained that
she always comes on Shabbas, the
other woman SHE'D away from
her.
When our friend changed her
seat, the woman who had made
the accusation followed, to ten
her that she was going to write
q letter to President Kennedy
asking him for peace" She was
going to tell him, she said, that
IL he had lived through the 900
day siege of Leningrad, "he
would also want peace"
She wanted to know If there
were any poor people in America,
and when told that there were, she
admitted that it was also true in
the U.S.S.R.
The other lady in our party was
chatting with another Russian wo-