Polish Envoy Blames JTA for Worldwide Concern
WASHINGTON (JTA)—An offi-
cial spokesman for the Polish gov-
ernment, An d r z e j Konopacki,
charged May 23 at an embassy
press conference that the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency was "the main
agency of slander" and complained
that JTA had created worldwide
concern over the fate of Polish
Jewry.
.Konopacki is listed by the State
Department as first secretary of
the embassy in charge of all propa-
ganda activities in the United
States. He met with reporters fol-
lowing picketing of the embassy
by Jewish leaders including presi-
dent, led by Rabbi Herschel Schac-
ter ,chairman of the Conference of
Presidents of Major National Jew-
ish Organizations, had called on
Undersecretary of State Nicholas
Katzenbach this morning to ask
U.S. government intercession to aid
Jewish victims of Polish anti-Sem-
itims.
The Polish diplomat denounced
the JTA and the agency's Wash-
ington correspondent Milton Fried-
man, for waging an allegedly
"slanderous campaign" that creat-
ed a "false impression" that a
Local Protest Set
A communitywide protest
rally on behalf of Polish Jewry
will be held 2 p.m. June 16
at the Jewish Center.
He said the JTA was a "subservi-
ent mass media" and that the gov-
ernment of Poland had carefully
followed JTA dispatches. Kono-
packi became so emotional in rag-
ing against JTA's alleged "confu-
sion of public opinion" that he lost
control of himself and broke off
the conference.
Earlier in the press conference,
Konopacki attacked the Jewish
Community Council of Greater
Washington for presenting a "slan-
derons" statement to another em-
bassy official, First Secretary Jan
Kinast. He said that Kinast had
three times interrupted the reading
of the statement.by a Jewish com-
munity official because its lan-
guage was "inappropriate" and
charges "false."
The Polish diplomat forced the
Jews to listen to quotations from
Communist Party boss Wladyslaw
Gomulka and Premier Jozef Cy-
rankiewicz, Konopacki said in de-
scribing the confrontation between
Kinast and the Jewish community
delegation led by Dr. Isaac Franck.
The presidents of major Jewish
groups picketed outside but did not
accompany the Washington lead-
ers who met with Kinast in the em-
bassy.
Konopacki said he was unaware
of any protest by the U.S. govern-
ment or representation on behalf
of Jews. (State Department sources
said that the U.S. would reject any
intercession by a foreign govern-
ment ,for instance, on the Negro
problem here.)
The Polish Embassy did not
permit the Jewish delegation to
reading a statement voicing moral
concern over "the Polish govern-
ment's virulent anti-Semitic cam-
paign." It was learned that the
delegation was curtly received and
virtually dismissed. Kinast refused
to answer questions raised by the
delegation on the status of Jews.
More than 100 pickets marched in
the rain. Among them were Pro-
testant, Catholic, Negro and Jew-,
ish clergymen and leaders.
Katzenbach told the group rep-
resenting major national organiza-
tions, led by Rabbi Schacter, that
the Department of State was keep-
ing developments affecting Polish
Jewry under constant vigilance.
John Gronouski U.S. ambassador
to Poland, was scheduled to parti-
cipate but did not appear because
of his resignation May 22.
(The Bureau of the Socialist In-
ternational adopted a resolution
calling on the Polish authorities to
end their "anti-Jewish policy and
the persecution of those fighting for
freedom of self-expression."
The resolution expressed con-
cern over the "dismissal of officials
on racial gorunds and as punish-
ment for deeds attributed to their
children." In Brussels, three or-
ganiaztions, one representing con-
centration camp survivors, one
veterans of the Belgian under-
ground and one a youth group,
petitioned Polish 'Communist Party
boss Kladyslaw Gomulka to permit
Polish Jews to leave the country,
and protested the Warsaw regime's
espousal of "Arab fascism."
In New York ,seven local Jewish
pro-Communist fraternal and cul-
tural groups sent letters to the
Polish ambassadors in Washington
and at the United Nations decrying
the Warsaw regime's anti-Jewish
campaign as "the age-old maneu-
ver to make the small remnant of
Polish Jews the scapegoat in the
present difficult situation.")
In Glasgow, Jewish students
held a demonstration in front of
the Polish Consulate demanding
an end to the Warsaw regime's
anti-Jewish campaign. A dele-
gation of students was received
by the Polish vice consul. He
refused to accept their petition
on the grounds that its contents
pertaining to anti-Semitism in
Poland were untrue.
In Haifa, thousands of Technion
students assembled on the Mount
Carmel campus for protest rallies
against anti-Semitic manifestations
in Russia and Poland. They were
addressed by Dr. Joseph Burg,
Miniter for Social Affairs, who de-
clared that neither the Israel gov-
ernment nor any Jew in the free
world would stand by while their
'brethren are persecuted in viola-
tion of all international conventions
and of their legitimate and funda-
metal human rights. The Technion
students sent cables to United Na-
tions Secretary-General U Thant,
to the International Committee for
Human Rights, and other institu-
tions.
Demonstrations demanding an
end to the repression of Soviet
Jewry took place in front of Soviet
embassies and legations in more
than 30 countries, from Finland to
Costa Rica as thousands of stu-
dents observed International Soli-
darity With Soviet Jews Day, May
22, organized by the World Union
of Jewish Students.
The extent of the demonstra-
tions, which were joined. by non-
Jews •as well as Jewish students,
was reported by Michael Hunter,
world chairman of the Union.
He said that the student bodies
of 45 universities and colleges in
England participated. Over 400
telegrams were addressed to the
Soviet Embassy, to UN Secre-
tary-General U Thant and to the
Communist Party of Great Bri-
tain. Although the demonstra-
tions were directed against the
USSR, they were joined by left-
wing societies and even some
Communist student groups, Hun-
ter said.
Jewish studetns demonstrated in
front of the Soviet embassy in the
West German capital of Bonn. A
delegation of five was admitted for
a talk with the press attache, Alex-
ander Bogomolow, who claimed
that there was no discrimination in
Credits Histadrut Role
TORONTO (JTA) — An Israeli
Arab labor leader told a Histadrut
campaign meeting here that Is-
rael's labor movement was largely
responsible for integrating Arab
citizens into that country's
economy.
Salim Joubran, secretary-general
of the Arab department of the
Israel Labor Party, said that the
full rights and privileges enjoyed
by Israeli Arabs came as a result
of the acceptance of Arab workers
as full members of Histadrut, Is-
rael's labor federation, in 1959.
Russia against Jews as a national-
Jews. The demonstration went
viet embassy by the Inter-Uni-
ity.
off without incident but attracted
versity Jewish Federation and
the University Committee for
The purpose of the demonstra- large crowds and numerous tele-
Soviet Jewry which co-sponsored
tions ,according to Hunter, was to vision and press photographers.
A telegram was sent to the So-
the demonstrations.
"shatter the wall of silence sur-
rounding the problem of Soviet
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Jewry." He said the World Union 6—Friday, May 31, 1968
of Jewish Students was moving its
headquarters from Paris to London
GIVE DAD THE G !FT FOR ALL . . .
in protest against the French gov-
ernment's unfriendly attitude to-
ward Israel.
'a 9 4 #1 ,41 1 . ' ;
In London, studetns here pick-
•
eted the Soviet embassy for five
hours and passed out handbills
describing the situation of Soviet
— --
There are more than 13,100 li-
censed nursing homes with 705,861
beds in the U.S., according to the
•
Michigan Nursing Home Associa-
tion.
*Se•SX.
V.I.P.
d?
":yt, ...
SEE OR CALL
VIC
DOUCETTE
AUTOMATIC
GARAGE DOOR
RADIO-
. CONTROLLED
OPERATOR
OPERATOR
Here is Convenience, comfort and security at the touch of
a butt on! Vemco's operator opens or closes your garage
door and turns your garage lights on when you touch the
butt on in your house or on the portable transmitter in your
car Give us a call today. We install, we guarantee the Vemco
A utomatic Garage Door Operator.
Calif ac
1350 N. Woodward Birmingham
Call Evenings
Until 9
MI 4-1930
353-3284
Res. 357-0326
get these beautiful Israeli ,
Keepsake Coins
Sterling Silver
VICTORY COIN
Set of Six
TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY COINS
in attractive container
Specimen set of six beautiful coins officially com-
memorating Israel's Twentieth Anniversary as a
nation.
Price: $3.50 per set
•N.
x "CS
MtW
•
Uncircuiated sterling sil-
ver coin honoring Israel's
recent military victory.
On one side the revered
Wailing Wall is depicted;
on the other side is the em-
blem of Israel's Defense
Forces.
Price: $6.00 each
..
' \ '''''
. , z.
'=`:,.,
. ; \ , .,...
,
, *k, \,.\\
.".4
k s t ::',.$..:: ';,, t ...,
•
\ s\ -..k.-- z-t %, :t 1.. ,,- , i11....1. \ ..7,1ts';'A.
,......
",,
•• ' .,,,,\,k. ',̀ , ..' ..,„
..,, *
, ',..:x
. s t ...,.., ' , .;..., .;.,„. \,:s : ,,,, , v, , , ; , :,..4..
it,,,..am:ka.;:, .... .\-sw:,,z.,
.
:i...a0;::::...:41,%..A.,.. .: ss-
;m , a03.,., . . ...:.......&.,..,...,,, a
xk
You may order these coins through any NBD office.
NATIONAL BANK OF DETROIT
Main Office: Woodward at Fort, Detroit, Michigan 48232
Telephone 965-6000