Soviet Jewish Emigration Backed by 120,000 at U.N.

An estimated 120,000 demonstrators gathered outside the United Nations on Sunday to voice support for Soviet Jewish emigration and to express rage at reports of growing anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union.

The ralliers, who packed Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, also called for direct flights from Moscow to Tel Aviv.

The rally came six days after Malev, the Hungarian airline, halted flights between Budapest and Tel Aviv because of threats by the radical group Islamic Jihad to attack airliners carrying Soviet emigres. The airline resumed limited flights from Budapest to Tel Aviv on Sunday but still isn’t running direct charter flights from Moscow.

Arab nations have asked the Soviet Union to slow the tide of emigrating Soviet Jews.

“To stand resolute against these terrorist threats is to defeat their cowardly perpetrators,” President Bush said in a statement read at the rally. “Soviet Jews must be allowed free and unimpeded transit as well as direct flights to Israel.”