18—Frida
arY 13 1970
Y, Febru
Georgian Jews Refuse to Halt Exodus Plea
NEW YORK (JTA)—Soviet gov-
ernment officials recently visited
the Soviet Republic of Georgia in
a futile effort to persuade Jews
there to withdraw their signatures
from a public appeal for help to
enable them to emigrate, accord-
ing to a report by the American
Jewish Committee.
The AJC said the information
indicating that Soviet Jews are re-
sisting official pressures to dis-
cburage emigration came from the
committee's Paris office.
According to the report, the So-
viet officials were rebuffed in
Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and
in Rutaissi where signers of the
• • •
Nov. 10 letter refused to withdraw
their names. The AJC report said
that the officials went to the Tbilisi
synagogue on a Saturday morning
and sought to convince the wor-
shipers of the dangers to the Jew-
ish community in the letter and
that the reaction was one of
indignation and protest from the
worshipers.
The letter signed by 18 Geor-
gian Jews. addressed to the So-
viet government, asked world
aid in pressuring the Soviet gov-
ernment to issue them exit visas.
The report said that members
of the Jewish community are
financially helping some of the
Jews who signed the letter and
lost their jobs. The report also said
that a generation gap had de-
Jews in Georgia
Rebuff Pressures
AJCommittee Says Brandeis Names 9
Jews in the Soviet Union are for Arts Awards
resisting official pressures aimed
at discouraging emigration from
the country, a report by the Paris
office of the American Jewish
Committee indicates. The report
was released at the AJC's head-
quarters in New York.
According to information receiv-
ed by the organization's European
headquarters, Soviet government
officials recently visited Georgia,
the Soviet republic in the Caucau-
sus, to try to persuade Jews to
withdraw their signatures from the
public petition of last Nov. 10,
which asked Israeli and world
assistance for Soviet Jews' desire
to leave. Both in Tbilisi, the capital
of Georgia, and in the town of
Kutaissi, the officials were rebuff-
ed and the signers of the letter
refused to withdraw their names
from it.
As a means of exerting addi-
tional pressure, the AJC report
adds, government officials went
to the Tbilisi synagogue on a Sat-
urday morning and attempted to
persuade, the worshippers of the
dangers to the Jewish community
from the letter. The reaction of
the Jews in the synagogue was
one of indignation and outcries of
protest.
The letter that 18 Georgian Jews
had signed on behalf of their fam-
ilies was one addressed to the Is-
rael government, asking world
assistance in pressuring the So-
viet government to issue exit visas
for them so that they could go to
Israel.
• a
Israel Is Told: Halt
Tour on Behalf
of Soviet Jews
Foreign Ministry has ordered two
former Soviet Jews and an Israeli
woman, Geulah Cohen, to halt a
tour of the United States intended
to arouse public opinion over the
plight of Russian Jewry.
Foreign Minister Abba Eban dis-
closed this in reply to questions in,
the Knesset. He said the three had
not coordinated their plans with
the foreign ministry.
Eban explained that with all due
alarm over the fate of Soviet Jews.
his ministry must make efforts not
to halt the trickle of Jews who are
allowed to leave the Soviet Union.
In reply to another question,
Eban said that 73 parliaments have
received Israel's apeal that they
identify with the concern expressed
by the Knesset over the denial of
rights of Jews in the Soviet Union,
including the right to emigrate.
He said the appeal was issued at
a time when most parliaments are
in recess. Nevertheless, it has been
endorsed by Switzerland, Costa
Rica and the Netherlands and is
under "active consideration" by ,
the parliaments of 10 other nations,
Eban said.
The foreign minister was to leave
on an official visit to West Ger-
many and the Benelux countries
this week. At a news conference
he said Israel could not lay down
any conditions for a cessation of its
bombing of Egypt because there
are security considerations in-
volved which cannot be made pub-
'eloped among Soviet Jews on
expression of complaints over
government restrictions on Jewish
life and emigration, with the
younger generation much more
outspoken in manifesting its Jew-
ishness and in braving the dangers
of repression and arrest.
The report said that in both
Moscow and Kiev, young Jews had
demonstrated recently at syna-
gogues against older leaders who
were keeping them out of meetings
with foreign visitors.
The report said that just a num-
ber of groups of young Soviet Jews
have organized "ulpanim" to teach
Hebrew. Th older generation ,
which remembers Stalin's anti-
protests in the Soviet Union and
Jewish repressions, oppose public
appeals to the outside world.
a a
Jewish Defense League
Condemned as Harmful
to Cause of Soviet Jews
WALTHAM, Mass.—Nine persons
will receive Brandeis University's
NEW YORK (JTA)—The Amer-
1970 Creative Arts Awards medals
, ican Jewish Conference on Soviet
and citations during the 14th annual
Jewry has sharply condemned
presentation banquet at the Whit-
"misguided zealots" who have dis-
ney Museum in New York City,
rupted concerts of Soviet artists
May 17.
and defaced property while osten-
Receiving the Creative Arts
sibly acting on behalf of the rights
Awards Medal and $1,000 stipend
of Soviet Jews.
will be composer Milton Babbitt,
The conference is a represen-
author I. B. Singer, artist Barnett
Newman and playwright Arthur tative body of 26 national Jewish
Miller. A fifth and special medal organizations and community
for notable achievement in the cre- councils actively seeking full reli-
ative arts will be presented to gious and cultural rights for Soviet
museum director Lloyd Goodrich. Jewry.
The four 1970 Creative Arts
A spokesman for the group said
Awards citation winners, all of its denunciation was directed prim-
whom also will receive a $1,000 arily at the Jewish Defense Lea-
stipend, are composer Charles ' gue and several independent stu-
Wuorinen, author Robert Coover,
dent groups which have created
artist Jasper Johns and in thea- disturbances at concerts given by
ter arts, The Open Theater.
visiting Soviet artists in New York
The Creative Arts Awards medal and Washington, D.C. The confer-
winners are selected in recognition ence said that it has always en-
of a lifetime of distinguished couraged militant action on behalf
achievement. Citations are con- of Soviet Jews but it believes that
ferred on particularly talented such action must be responsible.
artists, usually in mid-career. The (Acts of vandalism and rowdyism
special award for notable achieve- serve no constructive purpose and
ment honors a person or group for in fact have harmful and self-
outstanding achievement in the ; defeating results," the statement
creative arts.
said.
* R *
WALTHAM, Mass. — The Esso
Education Foundation, supported
by the Standard Oil Co. of New Jer-
sey and its principal affiliate, the
Humble Oil and Refining Co., has
presented Brandeis University with
a grant designed to strengthen un-
dergraduate learning.
In 1969-70, 647,500 will go to 162
private colleges and universities
under the foundation's presidential ;
contingency program. Presidents
of the recipient institutions will be I
invited to use the grants to under-
write activities or items that will
strengthen some aspect of under-
graduate learning at their institu-
tions for which there is no provi-
sion in the budget.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Rabbinic View of Abortion
Conveyed by Hematologist
ing of one's person and placing
, oneself in danger,
Destruction of the fetus, al-
' though not legally murder, is con-
sidered an appurtenance to mur-
der.
Until the actual act of birth, the
fetus is considered by most Jew-
ish authorities to be part of the
mother. However, after the head
or greater part of the body of the
infant is born, only a threat to both
lives would allow sacrifice of the
child to the mother, since the
mother's life is a certainty, where-
as the fetus has not proved its
Dr. Rosner pointed out that most
viability until 30 days have elapsed.
rabbinic authorities permit abor-
After birth, Dr. Rosner argued,
tion where a medical or psychia-
tric threat to the mother's life every human being, whether de-
formed,
crippled or otherwise de-
exists, that many authorities
permit abortion if her mental or ficient has rights equal to every
physical health may deteriorate other adut human being.
by continuation of the pregnancy,
The well-adjusted make poor
and that a small minority of
—Eric Hoffer
rabbinic opinion allows thera- prophets.
peutic abortion for reasons such
as incest, rape and fear that a
Portraits by
malformed child may be born.
Nevertheless, Dr. Rosner con-
tinued, the destruction of an un-
born fetus without sufficiently
strong indication is still condemn- ,
ed by most rabbinic authorities
as always fine
for a variety of reasons, including
quality photography
the following:
Merrillwood
Bldg. Mall
Jewish Law prohibits the waste
251 Merrill, cor. Woodward
of any drop of human seed,
Birmingham
The unborn fetus, although not a
person, may be considered a "par-
647-5730
tial person,"
Jewish Law forbids the wound-
NEW YORK—The rabbinic con-
cept that a fetus is "mere fluid"
until 40 days after conception and
the belief that a baby is not a
full person until birth, are major
factors in the Jewish attitude to-
ward abortion, according to Dr.
Fred Rosner, assistant irec or o f
hematology at Maimonides Medical
Center, who presented the second
in a series of three lectures on
"Jewish Tradition and Current
Issues in Medicine" at the nation-
, al headquarters of the American
Jewish Committee.
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Nixon Urged: Stop Road
to Gerald Smith Project
NEW YORK—Dore Schary, na-
chairman of the Anti-
tional
Defamation League of Bnai Brith,
has strongly urged President Rich-
ard M. Nixon to take immediate
action to prevent government fi-
nancing of a road leading to a
shrine promoted by "the notorious
anti-Semite, Gerald Smith," in
Eureka Springs, Ark.
In a telegram to the President,
Schary asked that he direct Com-
merce Secretary Maurice Stans
and Transportation Secretary John
Volpe to withdraw $182,000 of U.S.
funds allocated for a new road
leading to Smith's "Christ of the
Ozarks" project. The grant, Schary
said, was made despite abundant
evidence "that the name of Christ
and a -so-called nonprofit religious
enterprise (known as the Elna M.
Smith Foundation) is being used
to spread religious hatred with
ultimate profit to Gerald Smith."
National Commander Bernard B.
Direnfeld of the Jewish War Vet-
erans deplored the release of the
funds to build the road. Direnfeld
said that the objections of the
JWV were ignored by the gov-
ernment.
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