Soviet Anti-Semitism Rising, Poll Shows : Prejudice: Jewish leaders who ordered the Moscow survey say their worst fears are confirmed.

Preliminary survey results released Thursday indicate that anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Soviet Union, and Jewish leaders who commissioned the ambitious study said it confirms their worst fears.

Nearly half of the respondents in the survey conducted for the American Jewish Committee said anti-Semitism is growing, and only 18% of the respondents indicated a liking for Jews.

Sholom D. Comay, the committee’s president, said the study revealed a “disturbing level” of anti-Semitism among Soviets. He called the findings “extraordinarily significant.”

“Many of us were surprised that these attitudes would be expressed as openly as they were,” said Comay, who attributed the frankness to the country’s new spirit of openness.

The survey, considered the first systematic study of Soviet anti-Semitism in decades, was conducted under the guidance of the Institute of Sociology of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and other agencies. It consisted of interviews with 506 Muscovites.

Soviets in others parts of the country will be questioned in the months ahead. But Comay said the early findings are especially disturbing because of the perception that people living in Moscow, the nation’s capital, are more urbane than their counterparts in outlying regions.

The level of anti-Semitism in Moscow alone exceeds that found anywhere in the Free World, Comay told a press conference at the Jewish Federation Council of Los Angeles.

The study comes on the heels of increased reports of anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union, which some U.S. Jews have attributed to government reforms allowing greater freedom of speech. Last month, a meeting of Moscow writers was interrupted by demonstrators demanding that Jews emigrate to Israel. Hecklers also surfaced at a meeting of the Soviet Congress of Jewish Organizations.

And a weekly magazine recently published an article in which a writer compared Jews to a “virus” that was metastasizing. The government denies responsibility for those acts.

Anti-Semitism also appears to be on the rise in the United States. A study by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, for instance, reported an 81% increase in anti-Semitic harassment in California, much of it blamed on the proliferation of neo-Nazi skinhead groups.

President Bush condemned Soviet anti-Semitism after a meeting with U.S. Jewish leaders earlier this month. But many Jewish leaders remain concerned, noting that criticism of Jews often foreshadows worse things to come.

“The Soviet Union is a society that officially sanctioned anti-Semitism for decades,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, a longtime Jewish activist who was on hand for the press conference.

Researchers said they were encouraged, however, by results showing that most respondents favor equality in jobs and education for Jews. And 91% agreed that “Jews should be free to decide for themselves whether they want to remain in the Soviet Union or emigrate.”

When asked about the level of anti-Jewish sentiment, 48% of the respondents said it is on the rise, 44% said it is about the same, 5% said it is diminishing and 3% said they were unaware of anti-Semitism.

Seventeen percent of those surveyed said anti-Jewish feeling is prevalent, while 60% said that only some people dislike Jews.

In response to the study, the American Jewish Committee, which is based in New York, has called upon the Soviet leadership to condemn all manifestations of anti-Semitism in their country, and to use whatever means necessary to reduce further hostility.