Fate of Jews in Arab Lands Spurs Discussion in Knesset JERUSALEM (JTA) — Premier Levi Eshkol said that the fate of 100,000 Jews in Arab countries who were being persecuted despite their declarations of loyalty to their countries would be dis- cussed in the parliamentary for- eign affairs and security com- mittee. The premier said their plight was causing much anxiety and that Israel was shocked by fresh re- ports of threats and pogroms against those Jews. A motion for discussion of the affected Jews was submitted for the parliamen- tary agenda, but the premier said that any plans for Israel's action on their behalf should be discussed in a closed committee session. ; Ile also reported that Libyan I, police were stopping assaults on Jewish homes but doing nothing to assist the Jews, who have been I barricaded for 13 days. If they leave their homes in search of food or medicine, "they risk death." Eighty Jewish refugees arrived in London from Aden by air, re-; po rting that Arab mobs had been • guilty of incredible brutality and I destruction. Philip Jacob Samuel, chairman of the Aden Jewish corn- 'nullity and one of the refugees airl i ft ed here. reported that "I, have never seen such hatred and, deliberate destruction. Even the youn_: Arabs were screaming out that they wanted to kill us. It was terrible. Had it not been for the British troops, they probably would have. - Three Jews trapped in the Crater district were attacked by an armed mob. Two of them were beaten to death and cut up into pieces. The third man was found alive. bar el y able to breat he" chairman of the Conference, ap- pealed to the U.S. and other countries, plus religious and hu- manitarian le a d ers here and abroad. "to restore human rights and human dignity to the defense- less victims of national and re- ligious hatred." Morris B. Abram, president of , the American Jewish Committee, accompanied the issuance by the Committee of a country-by-coun- try summary of the situation, with a statement: The indigenous populations of these countries, members of ancient Jewish communities, are the innocent victims of the passions aroused by the recent Middle East war, In which they have taken no part. As Arab representatives have themselves attested on many occasions in United Nations forums, these nationals and long-established residents of the Jewish faith have no connection with. Zion- ism or the State of Israel. Arab spokesmen have also frequently maintained that however they feel about the State of Israel, they have no animosity toward Jews and respect Judaism as a religion." The summary of information concerning the situation of Jewish communities in Arab countries follows: • Egypt—The Jewish population • h an estimated is about 2 500 1,500 in Cairo and 1,000 in Alex- andria. The Jewish community is currently in a state of terror. According to reliable sources, about 600 Jews—including Grand Rabbi Jacques Nefussi of Alex- andria—have been jailed in the Abouzabel prison near Cairo and the La Barrage prison near Alex- andria. Their imprisonment followed The refugees were greeted by compulsory registration of all Jews Sir Barnett Janner, MP, former regardless of nationality at the president of the Board of end of May, and the arrest of all Deputies of British Jews, who able-bodied Jewish men between had arranged the airlift. The 20 and 50 years of age on June 5. 10,000 pound ($28,000) cost of Meanwhile, Grand Rabbi Chaim airlifting the Aden Jews to Douek of Cairo was placed under safety is being covered by the Inter-Governmental Committee house arrest. Among the im- prisoned were also the president for European Migration. All Jews have now left Aden. of the Ashkenazi Jewish commu- The Moroccan government or- nity of Cairo, Mr. Deutsch, who is dered that passports be granted nearly 70 years old, and two Jew- to Moroccan Jews who ask for ish doctors, more than 60 years them after some applicants, par- old. Most Jews taken into custody ticularly Jewish youth, reported experiencing difficulties in making were beaten: one man had both applications after the outbreak hands broken. For at least two the Arab-Israeli war. Con- of siderable fear was reported in the Casablanca Jewish community days, they received only crusts of bread in the Cairo jail; in Alex- andria no food at all. The Italian and Greek con- after the Jewish community center in Fez was the target of demon- sulates intervened for their strations against the Israeli vic- nationals. The Italian liner Esperia brought 45 Jewish men, tory. (Despite the disquiet. the 4,000- three women and seven children with Italian passports to Naples member Tangiers Jewish commun- ity held its regular communal elec- on June 11. About 40 Jews with tions. Abraham Laredo was elected Greek passports a r r i v e d in president for a three-year term. Cyprus on June 12. Tangiers is the only Moroccan city • Libya — The Jewish popula- where Jewish communal officials tion is about 5,000. Their situa- continue to be elected. In other tion is very grave. Widespread cities. such officials are chosen by mob violence has been directed against the community. Many the Moroccan government.) Meanwhile, it was reported that families are barricaded in their the Tunisian government had given homes and are running short of reassurances to the Tunisian Jew- food. Persons with Jewish names ish community some of whose have received recent telephone members wanted to emigrate. The calls threatening them with vio- Tunisian government also reit- lence if they dared to go outside. The death of six Jews as a erated warnings against attacks on Jews after 180 demonstrators result of mob violence in Tripoli set fire to the Tunis synagogue has already been confirmed. Two and Jewish-owned shops on June 5. Jews were stoned to death, one The demonstrators will be brought butcher was dragged out of his to trial and face a possible death store-home and killed, another Jewish man was burned to death penalty on conviction. The Tunisian government has in his auto, and an old lady and created a commission to evaluate a young boy were murdered as losses suffered by Jewish mer- they ventured out of their homes chants in recent Arab rioting to seek food on June 9. Accord- touched off by Israel's victory over ing to the Italian newspaper, the Arab states in the war this Corriere della Sera. June 14, 1967, month. The losses we-e suffered 16 Jews in Tripoli were thrown when the mobs looted and burned to their death from rooftops and balconies and a Jew ish bus Jewish-owned stores. The Conference of Presidents of driver was burned to death in his Major American Jewish Organ- bus. A leader of the Jewish com- izations protested in New York the munity, Reuben Hassan, was re- "systematic campaign" of Arab portedly shot to death by a Libyan atrocities against Jews in the Middle East. Dr. Joachim Prinz, 28 Friday, June 30, 1967 — policeman as he sought to obtain asylum at a foreign installation. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Virtually all the Jewish shops age and injury suffered, and the police cars were sent to protect in Tripoli were burned and looted. following day Tunisian workers the Jewish quarter in Beirut. Jews Thereafter, mobs set fire to Jew- were assigned to repair the Great may leave the country. • Aden—Although Aden is still ish apartments. Police and firemen Synagogue. Despite these actions and as- under British administration, there arrived on the scene only after surances, a couple of hundred have been frequent terrorist out- the damage had been done. About 25 Jews have managed Jews have emigrated from the breaks. A synagogue was damaged country in recent days. The several months ago, and during to cross the border and escape to Tunisia and some Jews of for- Tunisian government, while urg- recent rioting, after the outbreak eign nationality have been per- ing them to remain, is allowing of Arab-Israel hostilities, the main those who wish to leave to do so. synagogue and three other syna- mitted to leave the country. • Syria—It is estimated that gogues were set on fire, and ter- However, the great majority are either Libyan citizens or state- there are still some 4,000 Jews rorists shot at the firemen trying to extinguish the blaze. Two less. and the Libyan government in Syria. has thus far refused to allow them According to a report published Jews were killed, one was beaten to depart. in the June 9 issue of Adalet to death, and much Jew is h • Morocco—There are approxi- (Ankara, Turkey), 200 Jews in property was damaged. The British government has mately 60.000 Jews in Morocco, Kameshli (Qamishli), Syria were mostly in Casablanca. Moroccan detained and 57 were killed by facilitated the evacuation of the officials have assured the Jewish mobs, mainly of young Syrians, remaining Jewish community, which numbered about 135. They community that everything possi- who attacked them. were flown out by chartered plane ble will be done to assure its Even before the outbreak of safety, but there is considerable the recent hostilities the situa- from the British military airport. anxiety. tion of the Jews in Syria was ex- Only two Jews, both in hospital, Despite government precau- tions, there have been a few isolated incidents: two Jews, a young man and young woman, were murdered by a mob in Meknes; one Jew was critically stabbed in Rabat; and a Jew- ish woman was beaten in Casa- blanca. The police commissioner in Meknes has since been fired, as has a Moroccan radio an- nouncer who tried to stir up the masses. King Hassan has de- nounced the anti-Jewish acts and has strengthened the police guards around Jewish quarters. The situation has been exacer- bated by the propaganda campaign of the Istiqlal Party, which has been disseminating virulent anti- Zionist and anti-Jewish slanders. • Tunisia—There are approxi- mately 17,000 Jews in Tunisia. During riots on June 5, the Great Synagogue on Bourguiba Avenue was set afire, other Jewish houses of worship in Tunis were damaged, and various Jewish commercial shops and cafes in the center of the city were sacked. President Habib Bourguiba. on the evening of June 5, denounced the riots. personally went to in- spected the damage, and apolo- gized to the chief rabbi. The presi- dent and other Tunisian officials promised members of the Jewish community compensation for dam- , tremely grave. In Kameshli, Jews have been subject to frequent night arrest, interrogation and torture. In addition, their free- dom of movement was severely restricted; many professions were closed to them and they were harassed in the conduct of whatever employment was permitted them. Severe but s o m e w h at less brutally administered restrictions have been reported in other Syrian cities as well. • Algeria — There are about 3,000 Jews. Although Algeria has been militant in its opposition to Israel and dispatched some armed units to aid Egypt in the recent fighting, the Algerian government has both in theory and practice differentiated between hostility to Israel and its treatment of the local Jewish population. There were no reports of any outbreaks against the Jews. most of whom live dispersed among the general population. Virtually all Algerian Jews are French citizens and they are free to travel to France if they so desire. • Lebanon—Calm has also pre- vailed among the estimated 7,000 Jews in Lebanon, which took no active part in the recent war with Israel. As a precaution, Lebanese remain in Aden. • Iraq — There are approxi- mately 2,000 Jews remaining. No information on their situation since the recent conflict was available. However, as of May, the Iraqi Jews were still being subjected to dis- criminatory legislation restricting their rights. • • • Russian Jews Afraid for Lives During Current Anti-Israel Campaign (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) LONDON — Travelers returning from the Soviet Union say Russian Jews fear for their safety because of an atmosphere of anti-Israel hysteria fostered by the official propaganda organs of the govern- ment, the Guardian reported Wed- nesday. A Soviet press campaign about alleged Israeli atrocities during the war and in the occupation of Arab territory, which subsided for a few days, has been resumed in full force, according to the travelers. Radio propaganda is liberally sprinkled with references to the wartime "crimes of the Hitler fas- cists" in reference to Israel. In some parts of the Soviet Union, I Jews were reported fearful about venturing into the streets. First Book on the War, 'Strike, Zion !", Gets Worldwide Distribution; Authored by Stevenson At breakneck speed, Bantam Books (271 Madison, NY16) this week produced the first book on the Middle East's June 1967 war. "Strike, Zion!" a 216-page illus- trated book on the crisis came off the press in Chicago on Wednesday and immediate worldwide distribu- tion was started by the publishers. Books were flown immediately to London and Tel Aviv. The book is by CBC cones- , pondent William Stevenson and is his on-the-spot coverage of the war—before, during, and after. He wrote the book in Israel and returned to New York with the manuscript on June 19, finishing the next day. Included is a special section by Leon Uris titled "The Third Tem- ple," a personal essay about the emotional effects of the war and its perspective historically. Uris, the author of the 20-million copy bestseller, "Exodus", also worked on his portion of the book to cor- respond with the breakneck Ban- tam Extra schedule. "Strike, Zion!" also contains a 64-page portfolio of action photo- graphs and day-by-day maps cor- responding with the battle action. Stevenson, writing his coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict, re- vealed many previously undis- c losed Among them were: A private meeting was held in Washington between President Johnson and Israel Foreign Min- ister Abba Eban, May 26 at which the President asked Israel to postpone action. On the morning of May 26, the Soviet Ambassador in Cairo de- livered a request from the Krem- lin to President Nasser that the UAR should not be the first to open fire. There was an operational or- der, dated May 21, instructing the Eastern Air Region of the UAR on the priority of bombing targets in Israel, stressing the importance of striking the first blow, signed by the Egyptian Eastern Air Command Chief-of- Staff. Israel's military calendar was only 10 days in duration, Israeli strategists figuring that if their jets and tanks did not decisively vanquish the Arabs by the 10th day, the tide would turn against them. Many of the code names used during the campaign including the one which was later to recall the entire period—"Strike Zion!" A "voice-print" identification was made of the widely-reported phone conversation between President Nasser and King Hus- sein by the President of Voice- Print laboratories in Somerville, N.J., in the presence of a U.S. State Department official. Stevenson's factual and inter- raided a Tel Aviv discotheque, run by Mandy Rice-Davies (of London Profumo-scandal fame), about four days before the war began. Doc- tors and nurses drew blood from playboys and go-go girls with "un- usually limp arms." Stevenson re- ported the doctor's attitude as "we'd rather have a few extra quarts of whiskey-flavored plasma than none at all . . . and they're too weak to resist." Marshall to Write Book on Israel Brig. Gen. S. L. A. Marshall left for Israel to write a book on the June 1967 war. He has been commissioned by American Herit age Publishing Co. In the "Pro- file" one -hour television p r o- gram last Sun- day, Marshall said that while it took 70 hours for Israel to finish pretive study of Israel's six-day the war until the battle also includes profiles of cease-fire, he Israel and Arab military and politi- would call the re- cal leaders many based on personal cent conflict "The interviews, and human and humor- Three Hour War" Marshall ous anecdotes. because the decisive action was Among the latter was one about by the air force in the first three how a mobile blood bank crew hours.