Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Temple Is First to Host Soviet Speaker

A Soviet diplomat’s speech in a New York City temple marked the first time a representative of the Soviet Union had appeared in an official capacity at an American Jewish synagogue. Oleg Derkovsky, a political counselor on Near and Middle East affairs at the Soviet Embassy in Washington, called his invitation to visit Temple Emanu-el on the Russian Orthodox New Year’s Day “a symbol of new times, of changes for the better.” The temple has the world’s largest Reform Jewish congregation. Derkovsky told his audience that the Soviet Union has “a strong desire” to renew relations with Israel but was “discussing how best to do this from a practical point of view.”