The Glasgow 35's Group

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Sylvia Levitus as part of the Nativ intelligence operation to recruit settler colonists from the Soviet Union. The Scotsman - Tuesday 13 December 1977
Scotsman, 9 June 1979 - featuring Sylvia Levitus campaigning as part of the Zionist intelligence operation to recruit Soviet settler colonists.

The Glasgow 35's Group was the Glasgow group of the Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry, known as the 35s. It campaigned from at least 1973 into the late 1980s for the right of Soviet Jews to leave the USSR and settle in the Zionist entity. The campaign formed part of the wider Zionist movement's Soviet Jewry work, which was linked with Nativ, the liaison bureau of the Zionist regime that encouraged Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union to "Israel".[1][2][3]

The group organised presentations, letter-writing and write-ins, demonstrations, an exhibition, and the "adoption" of Soviet Jewish families and prisoners of conscience. It worked with the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council, youth groups including Habonim, and civic figures in Glasgow.

Officers

In February 1978 Mamie Shenkin also signed as chair of the Glasgow Committee for Soviet Jewry.[8]

Timeline

  • 18 May 1973 - The Glasgow Arts Club presented a Silva Zalmanson medallion to the Scottish actress Jean Taylor Smith. The presentation was made by Benno Schotz, Sculptor-in-Ordinary to the Queen in Scotland. "Mrs Mamie Shenkin, chairman of the Glasgow 35s group, which organised the ceremony, said they had been able to mobilise much goodwill among non-Jewish sympathisers for the plight of Soviet Jews wanting to leave the USSR."[9]
  • 26 October 1973 - "Three-year-old Rachel Furst, daughter of a member of the Glasgow 35s group, took the lead in posting the first of hundreds of birthday cards to Silva Zalmanson" on her 29th birthday. "More than 20 members of the group participated in a demonstration" in a silent protest at the General Post Office in Glasgow. The report also recorded contact with Soviet Jews including Vitaly Rubin of Moscow.[10]
  • January 1976 - The Glasgow 35s Group demonstrated outside the City Chambers on the visit of the Russian Ambassador, Nikolai Lunkov. Sonia Strobinets and Dima Azbel, "now living in Israel", were present with posters of their scientist fathers. At the Ambassador's opening of an exhibition of Russian paintings the 35s demonstrated for the painter Boris Penson, dressed in black and with a petition. Strobinets and Azbel spoke to secondary pupils and visited Glasgow Maccabi.[11]
  • 2 April 1976 - At a meeting of the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council, "Mrs Mamie Shenkin, chairman of the Glasgow 35s Group, announced that Glasgow had adopted three Soviet Jewish families." Henry Tankel was president of the council.[5]
  • November 1976 - After the visit to Glasgow of Boris Ponomarev, Councillor Maurice Toshner (Conservative) tabled a motion on Glasgow district council: "Glasgow district Council congratulates the 35s Committee for Soviet Jewry and the many people of all religions who joined them on the restrained manner with which they carried out their demonstrations against Soviet tyranny on the occasion of the visit to Glasgow of Boris Ponomarev and reaffirms the democratic right of individuals in this country to demonstrate in a peaceful and lawful manner..." He also asked in what capacity Lord Provost Peter McCann had attended 59th anniversary Russian Revolution celebrations in London. The Lord Provost, "who is alleged to have apologised to Ponomarev for the demonstrations", was absent, and the motion was "allowed to lie on the table". Toshner called it "purely a political stand". Labour group leader Baillie Dick Dynes called him a liar and a coward. Conservatives led by Baillie Jack Richmond walked out, alleging bias by the chairman, Baillie Frank Duffy. Toshner said he had received "an incredible number of letters and telephone calls". Henry Tankel said: "I think it is a pity that it has been taken into the political sphere, when we consider the matter to be a humanitarian one."[12]
  • 2 November 1977 - A refusenik Chanukah week programme listed "GLASGOW 35's: Launch of Jewellery for Soviet Jewish Prisoners", a communal meeting with Edinburgh at which the speaker Vladimir Lazaris was to present toys to the Lord Provost, and a torchlight demonstration led by youth groups.[13]
  • 13 December 1977 - The Glasgow 35's Group of the Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry present Lord Provost David Hodge with a box of toys for handicapped children in the district's care. The toys were in appreciation of a district council resolution affirming basic human rights as defined in the Helsinki Agreement. In the picture, left to right, Natalie Khan, Avril Levy, Linda Goldberg, the Lord Provost, Avril Tochner and Sylvia Levitus.[14] The surname is printed as "Avril Tochner". She is probably Avril Toshner (née Winston), wife of Councillor Maurice Toshner.[15][16]
  • 2 February 1978 - Mamie Shenkin, as chair of the Glasgow Committee for Soviet Jewry, wrote to Thomas MacMillan MP under the heading "Helsinki Agreement Watch Dog Committee".[8]
  • November 1978 - The 35s circulated a leaflet, "This Is Your Adopted Soviet Jewish Prisoner of Conscience - His Name Is Iosef Begun".[17]
  • 8 December 1978 - "A demonstration was staged by the Glasgow 35s group and members of Habonim outside the Theatre Royal, where Soviet Deputy Minister of Culture, Mr Popov, was present to hear the Russian violinist Vladimir Spirakov."[18]
  • 8 June 1979 - Members of "the Glasgow 35 Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry" marched on the King George V dock in an attempt to have a letter of support sent to Ida Nudel, in Siberian exile, via the captain of a Soviet tug preparing to tow pressure vessels for two methanol plants to Tomsk. They were told to leave the dock. The Scotsman pictured Sylvia Levitus and reported Mrs Linda Goldberg as saying that 21 June was the first anniversary of Nudel's exile: "We cannot send her a letter through the post because of the Russian authorities, so we tried to send her our message via the captain of the tug who is taking the cargo to Tomsk, which is not far from where she is exiled." The paper added: "Ida Nudel was exiled for placing a banner outside her window asking for a visa to join her family in Israel."[19]
  • 4 September 1979 - "Gulag '79", an exhibition mounted by "the Glasgow 35s Women's Committee for Soviet Jewry", opened in Edinburgh for the final week of the Festival, with the support of the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council and in the official fringe programme. It included a film on Ida Nudel in Siberian exile, and postcards and New Year greetings to refuseniks.[20] The exhibition drew almost 1,000 visitors and included a replica prison cell with a herring, bread and cabbage soup ration. It was "opened by Mr Richard Demarco and Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MP, [and] was organised by the Glasgow 35s (Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry)."[21]
  • 27 June 1980 - Anatoly Altman planted a tree at Giffnock Synagogue and unveiled a plaque honouring Ida Nudel. He addressed a meeting organised by the Glasgow 35s and met Lord Provost Dr Michael Kelly and regional councillors. "Mrs Linda Goldberg, chairman of Glasgow 35s, said that the group was mounting an intensive letter campaign. She urged individuals, synagogues, churches and local groups to adopt a Soviet family and to write to them consistently." The Lord Provost was expected to write to Brezhnev, and the Euro MP Kenneth Collins to raise the matter in the European Parliament.[6]
  • 2 April 1982 - The Glasgow 35s campaigned to send 700 Hagadot to refuseniks and prisoners of conscience. A seven-hour write-in at Giffnock Synagogue was attended by over 350 people. Rabbi Philip Greenberg distributed Hagadot, and Lord Provost Dr Michael Kelly inscribed one.[22]
  • 1985 - A Soviet Jewry write-in associated with the Glasgow 35s was photographed, featuring six boys.[23]
  • 9 January 1987 - A Chanukah rally was "organised by the Glasgow 35s Group and Glasgow Jewish Youth Groups", with the actress Ida Schuster as compere.[24]
  • 19 June 1987 - A "mothers for freedom" coffee morning, attended by 50 mothers, was held at the home of Mrs Avril Levey. "They were told by the Glasgow 35s chairman, Mrs Danielle Glasser, of the problems facing Soviet Jewry." "Mrs Linda Davidson explained ways in which Soviet Jews could be supported, while Mrs Ann Berkeley recalled ... former refuseniks she had met in Israel."[7]
  • 2 October 1987 - A write-in by the Glasgow 35s sent more than 300 Rosh Hashana cards to refuseniks. Former refuseniks Benjamin Bogomolny and Tanya Bogomolny made their first visit to Scotland and were shown round by Dr Jack Miller.[25]

Maxine Allon (née Mail) was a member of the 35s in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to an account by her son Gregory Allon.[26]

Photographs and other undated items

The Scottish Jewish Archives Centre's online Soviet Jewry collection also holds undated photographs of the group, including:

Sources

Papers of the group are held at the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre in the Campaign for Soviet Jewry collection (POL.SOV). These include POL.SOV/1a, "Glasgow 35s group reunion and campaign papers", and POL.SOV/0002, "Papers relating to Glasgow 35s group, papers relating to Soviet jews and refusniks", 1970s–1990s, GB 1220 POL.SOV/0002.[30][31] The file title of POL.SOV/1a records that a reunion of the group took place; no date for the reunion is given in the catalogue entry used here.

Digitised items from the same collection are listed on the Centre's online catalogue.[32] The national records of the Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry are at the University of Southampton, MS 254 A980; the catalogue includes photocopies of regional 35s groups' activities, though it does not name Glasgow in the file descriptions.[33]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Scotsman, Tuesday 13 December 1977.
  2. ↑ The Scotsman, Saturday 9 June 1979, p.4.
  3. ↑ University of Southampton Special Collections, "Those wonderful women in black: the Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry", Archives Hub blog, 3 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 18 May 1973, p.23.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jewish Chronicle, 2 April 1976, p.18.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jewish Chronicle, 27 June 1980, p.12.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jewish Chronicle, 19 June 1987, p.12.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, "Letter to Thomas MacMillan MP from Mamie Shenkin, Chair of Glasgow Committee for Soviet Jewry, 2nd Feb 1978: 'Helsinki Agreement Watch Dog Committee'", Soviet Jewry collection, accession POL.SOV0003.
  9. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 18 May 1973, p.23.
  10. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 26 October 1973, p.39.
  11. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 2 January 1976, p.20, "Scots demonstrate for Soviet Jewry".
  12. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 12 November 1976, p.12, "Russian's visit causes storm".
  13. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 2 November 1977, p.9.
  14. ↑ The Scotsman, Tuesday 13 December 1977.
  15. ↑ ScotlandsPeople, statutory marriage index, TOSHNER, Maurice, WINSTON, Avril Jenifer, 1963, 644/11/607, Pollok.
  16. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 24 June 1977, p.29, recording a Calderwood Lodge parents' committee bazaar "opened by his wife Mrs Avril Toshner", at which Maurice Toshner, "city treasurer of Glasgow's district council", spoke.
  17. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, "Front page cover of 'This Is Your Adopted Soviet Jewish Prisoner of Conscience - His Name Is Iosef Begun' - sent out by the 35s (Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry)", November 1978, accession POL.SOV0001.
  18. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 8 December 1978, p.11.
  19. ↑ The Scotsman, Saturday 9 June 1979, p.4, "No special post to Siberia".
  20. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 17 August 1979, p.8, "Gulag '79 in Edinburgh".
  21. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 21 September 1979, p.8.
  22. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 2 April 1982, p.16, "Red (Sea) delivery?".
  23. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, "Glasgow 35s - Soviet write-in featuring 6 boys", 1985, accession JEC 31:44.
  24. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 9 January 1987, p.8.
  25. ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 2 October 1987, p.13.
  26. ↑ Greg Allon, "My Parents, the Cold War Couriers", 15 March 2025.
  27. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, "35s women's soviet campaign, Glasgow. Left of microphone is Halina Moss, right of microphone Raiza Palatnik, Councillor Janey Buchan seated on extreme left", undated, accession POL.SOV.
  28. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, "Glasgow 35s: Lord Provost Michael Kelly, Jack Miller, Kenny Davidson, Ernest Levy & Suzanne Freedman", undated, accession JEC 103:02.
  29. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, "Glasgow 35s demo featuring 6 women holding placards", undated, accession JEC 31:15.
  30. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, Campaign for Soviet Jewry collection (POL.SOV), POL.SOV/1a, "Glasgow 35s group reunion and campaign papers".
  31. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, Campaign for Soviet Jewry collection (POL.SOV), POL.SOV/0002, "Papers relating to Glasgow 35s group, papers relating to Soviet jews and refusniks", 1970s–1990s, GB 1220 POL.SOV/0002, Archives Hub.
  32. ↑ Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, Soviet Jewry collection, search for 35s material.
  33. ↑ University of Southampton Special Collections, MS 254 A980, Women's Campaign for Soviet Jewry, especially 1/3/8.
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