Soviet Bloc Fails to Stifle Revealin
Letter Exposing Anti-Jewish Prejudices
UNITED NATIONS. N.Y. (JTA
—Soviet and Ukrainian delegates
objected angrily when the United
Stales representative on the United
Nations Human Rights Commis-
sion read a letter from a Jewish
mother in Moscow appealing to the
world organization to intercede with
Soviet authorities to permit her
son to emigrate to Israel. Mrs.
Rita Hauser was interrupted re-
peatedly by the Soviet and Ukrain-
ian representatives as she read
excerpts from a letter written by
Mrs. Elizaveta Isaakovna Kap-
shitzer who claimed that her son,
Vitold, a writer, has been unable
to find work for two years because
he has applied for permission to
emigrate to Israel.
The letter was submitted to the
UN Human Rights Division by
Lewis H. Weinstein of Boston,
chairman of the American Jewish
Conference on Soviet Jewry. It was
shown to Ambassador Charles W.
Yost, U.S. representative to the
UN, and a copy was given to Mrs.
Hauser. Weinstein told newsmen
that the letter was brought to this
country by a tourist who had visit-
ed Russia. It was dated Sept. 24,
1969, and contained Mrs. Kap-
shitzer's address in Moscow. The
letter was written in Russian and
translated by the Conference.
Mrs. Hauser brought it up in
the General Assembly's Social,
Humanitarian and Cultural Com-
mittee as a further indication
Of the repression suffered by
Jews in the Soviet Union. She
said the letter was shown to her
as a private communication and
that she had no doubts about its
authenticity. As she read from
its contents, the Soviet and
Ukrainian delegates raised re-
peated points of order. They in-
sisted that the letter was not
relevant to the committee's
agenda and that if it represented
a formal. complaint, it must be
submitted through proper chan-
nels. The Third Committee chair-
man made no ruling. But Mrs.
Hauser did not finish reading the
letter.
The writer., who described her-
self as a bed-ridden invalid, said
her son was expelled from the
writers committee of the literary
fund of the USSR and from his
trade union which has denied him
work unless he "repents." She said
that as a result, she and her son
must subsist on her meager pen-
sion of 40 rubles a month — about
$45. Mrs. Kapshitzer is widowed.
Her letter, addressed to the UN
General Assembly, contained a
plea to the Soviet government to
give her son "the right of free de-
parture, give him the possibility of
beginning life anew. I know that it
is only the Soviet government that
has the power to solve this queS-
Celler Urges US Leniency
for Refugees in Talk
Before Migration Leaders
lion. But there is such a thing as
conscience in this world and some-
on e must sense our pain," she
wrote.
NEW YORK—The outstanding
film and filmstrip dealing with
Jewish subject . matter released
during 1969 will receive a special
award to be presented by the Na-
tional Council on Jewish Audio-Vis-
ual Materials, it was announced by
Chayym Zeblis, chairman of the
NCJAVM National Board of Re-
view.
According to the letter, Mrs.
Kapshitzer said that tier son had
particularly."national-
istic," a reference to the fact that
in the Soviet Union Jews are offi-
cially classed as a nationality. She
said he had received a truly "in-
ternational" education and had al-
Eighteen Jewish students from
ways considered national enmites
George Washington University and
as the greatest of ilLs. "But he the University of Maryland were
found it impossible to overlook the arrested Monday in a demonstra-
insulting attitude toward his peo-
tion in front of the Soviet Em-
ple. He could not ignore the in- bassy to call attention to the plight
justices and cruelties and could of the 18 Georgian Jewish families
not reconcile himself to the de- who have not been permitted to
gradation of man," she wrote.
leave the Soviet Union.
Mrs. Kapshitzer wrote that in
The young people handcuffed
1967 her son had applied to the
themselves to the embassy gates
government of Israel to be ad-
and had to be cut loose by the
mitted as a "repatriate." In an-
police. They are members of the
swer to the requests he received
newly formed "New Washington
an invitation to come to Israel.
Committee for Human Rights
"The Soviet authorities agreed to
Now."
consider my son's application for
In Jerusalem, special prayers
an exit permit only on condition
were offered in Israel Monday for
that he give up his Soviet citizen-
the Jews in Soviet Russia and the
ship. He was thus forced to apply
Arab countries. The day of prayer
to the presidium of the Supreme
was proclaimed by the chief rab-
Soviet of the USSR stating that
binate. Prayer services were held
he was giving up Soviet citizen-
near the Wailing Wall in East
ship. He sent this statement on
Jeruslem. Thousands of Israelis
May 31, 1967 but until now he
attended a rally in Tel Aviv Tues-
! has received no official written
day to demonstrate solidarity with
reply—although he has been told
Soviet Jewry and the Jewish
orally that his request to give up
minorities in Arab lands.
• * *.
Soviet citizenship has been de-
,
, .
med, " Mrs. Kapshitzer wrote.
After his expulsion from the
wrtiers committee and his trade
union, the demand was put to him
to "repent," she said. - "But what
should he repent of?" the letter
Gov. Milliken today will sign a
asked. Is devotion to one's people
a crime? Are feelings of human proclamation calling for the restor-
ation
of human rights to the Jews
and national dignity forbidden?
Has a man no right to defend him- of the Soviet Union.
The action coincides with similar
' self and his people from insults?"
Mrs. Kapshitzer wrote that she signings by governors in states
could not understand why the throughout the country, on the
Soviet authorities refuse to let her occasion of the observance of
son leave. "He knoWs no state Hanuka and the worldwide com-
secrets. Be has no intention and memoration of the adoption of the
Universal Declaration of Human
no possibility of harming the Soviet
Rights.
state in any way," she wrote.
Representatives of the Jewish
"Can the reason be just cruelty in
Community Council of Detroit
principle?"
and leaders of other Jewish com-
Weinstein, conference chairman,
munities in the state are attend- I
gave Yost and Mrs. Hauser copies
ing the signing ceremony.
of Mrs. Kapshitzer's letter. Later
The proclamation calls upon the
Weinstein had it delivered to the
Soviet government to restore to!
UN's Human Rights Division.
Soviet Jews their full rights for
Members of the delegation who
religious and cultural expression as
met with Yost and Mrs. Hau-
guaranteed them under Soviet law,
ser were: Weinstein: Rabbi Israel
and to grant to those who wish to
Miller, past conference chairman:
leave the right to be reunited with
Rabbi Saul I. Teplitz, vice chair- their families, separated as a re-
man: Abraham .1. Bayer, confer- sult of World War II.
ence coordinator: Mrs. Fay Schenk
Hadassah's national president:
Phil Baum, director of the Ameri-.
can Jewish Congress' commission
on international affairs: Dr. Wil-
liam Korey, director of the Bnai
Brith UN Office: and Richard
Maas, chairman of the American
Jewish Committee's foreign affairs
committee.
Meanwhile, the secretary
general of the Socialist Interna-
tional has written to United Na-
tions Secretary General U Thant
pledging the International's full
support for any initiative which
may be taken by the UN regarding
the plight of Soviet Jewry.
flans Janitschek also sent Thant
collies of 'a Socialist International
pamphlet containing the report of
a special working committee that
studied the situation of Russian
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NEW YORK — Marking the lath
anniversary of World Refugee
Year, more than 400 leaders in
refugee and migration work at-
tended the National Conference on
World Refugee Problems in Wash-
ington D.C. Nov. 18-19.
Sponsored by more than 60
American overseas relief, relig-
ous, civic affairs, professional and
union groups, including United
Hias Service, the conference
sought to focus public attention on
world refugee problems, the needs
of the refugees and the efforts of
American citizens to meet them.
At a plenary session, Congress-
man Emanuel Celler of Brooklyn.
chairman of the House Judiciary als. whch clearly conflict with the
of the Soviet constitu-
attorney principles
Committee, urged the
tion and represents failure to honer
general to use, when necessary, tion
guarantees concerning the human
the parole provision of existing
civil rights of the individuals." .
laws for the admission of refugees and
a time
to the United States. He stressed The report continued, "at
leave when peoples of all countries see
the pressure on Jews to
hopeful signs of international de-;
Poland, the severe oppression in
Czechoslovakia and the restless- tente. discrimination against Jews I
I in the Soviet Union is one of the
mess throughout Eastern Europe.
factors which provoke anxiety and
which disturb the growing atmos-
phere of respect and good will that
could lead to greater understand
ing and tolerance among peoples."
The committee called for equal
cultural and religious rights for
Jews, as accorded other Sovi
citizens, and the right of Soviet
Jews to re-unite with their families
abroad.
Audio-Visual Award
Milliken Signs
Proclamation
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 5, 1969-13
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