Soviet Tactics in Human Rights Issue and Its Architect at UN
By SAUL CARSON
JTA Correspondent in the UN •
(Copyright, 1967, JTA, Inc.)
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.—Who
is Yakub A. Ostrovski?
His name came into the hot
news when, at a meeting of the
United Nations Commission on
Human Rights in Geneva, he de-
livered a crude anti-Semitic attack
on the chief U.S. delegate to the
Commission, Morris B. Abram. It
so happens that Abram is presi-
dent of the American Jewish
Committee. He is also intimately
connected with any other number
of other human rights organiza-
tions. As a lawyer whose practice
used to be centered in Atlanta.
Ga., Abram received national no-
tice through some cases he had
taken to the Supreme Court—and
won in the high tribunal—not on
Jewish matters but on civil rights
affecting primarily Negroes. But
Ostrovski did not attack Abram's
civil rights record in general. The
gentleman voiced his attack in an
anti-Semitic context.
The subject under discussion
was a plan for the establishment
of a new UN office, the appoint-
ment of a UN Commissioner for
Human Rights. Ostrovski was—is
—the chief delegate on the corn-
mission representing the Soviet
Union. The Russians don't like the
idea of an ombudsman who would
supervise human rights in all
countries in the world. But in the '
debate on the issue, Ostrovski told
Abram that the U.S. representa-
tive was not addressing a meet- ,
ing of the American Jewish Com-
1
mittee.
Since that was the second
time he had mentioned Abram's
office in the AJC—a post of
which Abram is rightfully proud
—the American delegate an-
swered the Russian, rebuked
him outright, hinted that the
man from Moscow was using
anti-Semitic tactics. There is
some documentation on Ostrow-
ski. There is very little doubt
of his anti-Semitism—and of the
fact that the Moscow govern-
ment knows him for what he is.
in Moscow, in 1950. he was im-
mediately attached to the Soviet
Foreign Ministry after he had
received his degree. Later he
studied at the Academy for Inter-
national Law at The Hague. But
by the time -he did those studies
in Holland, he had already served
on the Soviet Union's permanent
mission to the United Nations,
and had put in time as an attache
About three years ago, the So- in the USSR's Embassy in Wash-
viet Union shocked the world by ington. He has served on the UN
introducing at the United Nations General Assembly's Social. Hu-
an amendment to an anti-racism manitarian and Cultural Commit-
draft that would have equated tee, has been an alternate delegate
Zionism with Nazism. The Soviet to the Commission on Human
diplomat who engineered that Rights, has participated in the
move was none other than Ostrov- deliberations of the above-men-
ski—although he stayed in the tioned subcommission.
And what was Ostrovski's chief
background.
One time, when Dr. Maurice L. occupation all through those
Perlzweig, the World Jewish Con- years? He was the Soviet Union's
gress representative at the UN. principal expert on legal and so-
was delivering an address before cial questions having to do with
the Subcommission on Prevention "prevention of discrimination on
of Discrimination and Protection racial and national grounds."
of Minorities, he mentioned in That's what the official Soviet
paSsing the words "Soviet Union." Who's Who says. And what were
Actually, he was about to give his principal accomplishments?
the USSR credit for certain so- Ile was against slavery. He was
cial advances. But the Soviet man in favor of equality for women.
in the group, the same Ostrovski, He was, in short, against sin—
couldn't wait for Dr. Perlzweig sin of all types universally con-
to finish his sentence. He inter- demned by all civilized men.
rupted the Jewish speaker rudely Except anti-Semitism.
by demanding of the chairman
Of that phase of his work ,
that "that man" be squelched be-
the Soviet Who's Who does not
cause he had dared take the name
speak. That must be deduced
of the USSR without permission.
from the man's activities. In
JTA Correspondent in the ITV
(Copyright, 1967, JTA, Inc.)
GENEVA (JTA) — Against the
strenuous opposition of the Soviet
Union, which once more resorted
to an anti-Jewish attack directed
specifically against the chief dele-
gate of the United States, Morris B.
Abram, the United Nations Com-
mission on Human Rights voted
here March 22 in favor of the
formation of a new office, to called
the United Nations High Commis-
sioner for Human Rights.
The vote on the issue, following
a day-long debate which made a
night meeting necessary, was 20 to
7, with two abstentions. The_United
States, Britain and Israel were
with the majority.
The Soviet bloc in the commis-
sion, consisting of the USSR.
Poland and the I Ukraine teamed
up with Yugoslavia, Iraq, India
and Egypt in the opposition. France
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and Nigeria abstained. There are delegate -who brought up the Jew-
ish issue during the debate. The
32 members on the commission.
The commission's vote culmin- Iraqi delegate, in a 45-minute
ated a long fight led by the United speech, took out against Israel's
States and Israel. The commission's member on the commission, Su-
resolution was in the form of a preme Court Justice Haim II. Cohn
recommendation to its parent body, who, March 22 had- endorsed the
the Economic and Social -Council High Commission proposal warmly.
Iraq's delegation head chided the
which, in turn, must approve ihe
move then forward it to the Gen- Israeli for supporting human rights
and
the protection of minorities in
eral Assembly for final action.
other countries while the Arab
In the course of the debate.
minority in Israel was being "sup-
Yakub A. Ostrovski, chief of the
, pressed."
USSR delegation. once more at-
Justice Cohn, whose intervention
tacked Abram, as he did in the on the issue had been supported
discussion March 21. linking
by Italy and Argentina. replied
Abram's attitude- on the issue to
. that "in contrast with some other
the fact the latter, in a private
countries, my government pledges
capacity. is president of the Ameri-
that Israel would admit a High
can Jewish Committee.
Commissioner for Human Rights
Insinuating that Abram "was and allow him to see whatever he
obeying the orders of the Zion-
wanted to see and could pledge
ists and the Jews of America," that we would listen carefully to
and charging that the chairman his advice."
of the American delegation was
Justice Cohn condemned the
"serving two masters," Ostrov- Soviet Union's "policy of forc-
ski called the American Jewish ible assimilation" of Russian Jewry
Committee "a Zionist organiza- without, however, naming the
tion."
USSR.
Replying very briefly to Ostrov-
"A High Commissioner for
ski's hour-long diatribe, Abram
Human Rights," Justice Cohn
merely noted that, in the 20 years
told the commission, "who would
of the commission's existence, no
be able to conduct proper in-
similar incident had occured, and
vestigations, might take effective
n6 reference had ever been made
action against the violation of
by a delegate to another delegate's
some of the very rights and
religious affiliation. "Moreover,
freedoms for which the last
Abram noted, that reference was
great war was heroically fought
"irrelevant to the commission's
and won. With the defeat of the
German master-men by the
work."
The Russian was not the only
combined moral strength of the
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short, Ostrovski seems to be
Ostrovski is only 40 years old.
the Kremlin's chief hatchet man
He still has far to go. He was
against Jewish protests regard.
ing Soviet anti-Semitism.
trained for exactly what he is
doing—as the chief tub-thumper
Ostrovski now heads the Soviet
for Moscow's idea of human rights. delegation on a special group
A law graduate of the State In- planning the International Year
stitute for International Relations. for Human Rights. to be observed
UN Commission on Human Ili hts
Votes for Public Defender: Soviet
Delegate Again flits Morris Abram
By Z. H. DRUCKMAN
in 1968 in celebration of the 20th
anniversary of the date—Dec. 10,
1948—when the General Assembly,1
without a single dissenting vote,
adopted the Universal . Declaration
of Human Rights. Anyone who
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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great nations, one would have
thought that the singling out
of the Jews for special treat-
ment would have become a sub-
ject of contempt and ridicule.
But prejudices leading to sys-
tematic violation of human
rights still persist in spite of
vehement denials. The evidence
is so overwhelming as not to
leave any reasonable doubt in
the mind of any unbiased ob-
server."
Aiming, then, directly at the
Soviet Union and the fate of its
(Continued on Page 18)
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