THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
10—Friday, June 11, 1971
Rivka Aleksandrovich Pleads for Daughter at Rally
Truman Honored
The anguish of a mother whose
ailing (laughter is serving a prison
sentence for asserting her Jewish-
ness was shared with Detroit
Jewry Wednesday evening at a
rally for Soviet Jewish prisoners.
Rivka Aleksandrovich, m other
of the now-famous 23-year-old Jew-
ish nurse, Ruth Aleksandrovich.
spoke before an audience of more
than 1,200 at Temple Emanu-El.
The rally was sponsored by the
.Jewish Community Council with
the cooperation of the Action
Committee on Soviim
Mrs. Aleksandrovich's itinerary
here was non-stop. On Thursday
morning. she met privately with
for
Refugee Aid
NEW YORK—The 25th anniver-
sary of the arrival of the SS
Marine Flasher, on May 20, 1946.
with 800 survivors from the Nazi
terror, was marked at the 87th
annual meeting of United Bias
Service.
Former President Harry S. Tru-
man was present-
ed in absentia
with the "Liberty
Award" honoring
him for his direc-
tive enabling the
settlement of the
survivors in this
country.
The citation was
presented on be-
half of HIAS by
Mrs. Warren E. P alevsky
Abrams to Simon Palevsky, who
was a passenger on the SS Marine
Flasher.
The citation has been placed in
the Truman 'Library in Indepen-
dence, Mo.
that you accept such a
statement when the trials of So-
viet Jews have 'resumed and peo-
ple are harassed for expressing
their wish to go to Israel?" Mrs.
Meanwhile, Jewish sources in
. . . My ache is your ache; my
Riga confirmed that Miss Alek-
children are your children."
She added: "If it were not for sandrovich continues to be in poor
you Jews and non-Jews, it (the health and is being denied medical
situation of Soviet Jewry) would attention.
he much worse."
Glenn Richter, national coordin-
A prayer for the release of all ator of the Student Struggle for
Soviet Jewish prisoners was pro- Soviet Jewry in New York, said
nounced by Rabbi Milton Rosen- denial of medical care of political
haum of Emanu-El. Hubert Sidlow. prisoners was a continuing Soviet
president of the Jewish Community practice. He said the SSSJ was
Council, presided, and Mrs. Lillian asking American physicians to
NIaltzer, president of the temple, )rotest Miss Aleksandrovich's re-
extended greetings. Southfield ported treatment to the Soviet
Mayor Norman Feder was seated authorities.
with them on the stage.
Miss Aleksandrovich's father
Mrs. Aleksandrovich had a spe- has reportedly appealed to the
cial appeal to women in the au- Supreme Soviet to commute her
dienc' to take up the cause of sentence because of her ill health.
the Jewish young people who are According to sources the Supreme
being held prisoner in the Soviet Soviet has promised to review her
Union. "It is only by chance that case within a few weeks.
vou American mothers are sitting
Meanwhile, sources reported that
there in a nice hall and I am up Valeri Kukui, a Sverdlovsk Jew
here pleading for my daughter," charged with anti-Soviet slander
she said.
for distributing petitions criticiz-
ing the trials of Soviet Jews, may
Roth in Solitary Confinement;
John Cardinal Dearden, chairman
of the National Conference of Cath-
olic Bishops in the United States.
She also spoke before an inter-
faith meeting in Flint and was
interviewed on radio and tele-
vision.
Mayor Gribbs procl a imed
Wednesday Ruth Aleksandrovich
Day in Detroit.
Mother Appeals to Kennedy
In countless other cities where
NEW YORK (.TTA)—Ruth Alek-
she has appeared, Mrs. Aleksand-
rovich has created widespread in- sandrovich has been put in soli-
terest in the plight of Soviet Jewry tary confinement in Riga for fash-
by focusing on her daughter, ioning a Star of David from pa-
Druze Leader
whose trial last month resulted in jama threads and attaching it to
a year's prison sentence for "anti- her prison uniform, Jewish sour-
to Be Tried as Spy
Soviet activity." Although she has ces here said.
Her father, Rubin Aleksandro-
TEL AVIV (JTA) — A highly only four months left to serve (she
respected Druze leader from the had been arrested last October), vich, who was to meet with her
Golan Heights, who once enter- Miss Aleksandrovich has been in last Friday, was not permitted to
tained Deputy Premier Yigal Al- Ill health, and she is incarcerated do so because of her new status,
ton at his home, will go on trial in a "strict regime" prison camp. the sources said.
Monday marked the beginning of
before a military tribunal shortly
In her talk, delivered in Eng- Miss
Aleksandrovich's ninth month
on charges of espionage for Syria.
lish, Mrs. Aleksandrovich made
in prison; she has four more
a plea that American doctors
Sheikh Kaml Kanj of Bajdal
exert pressure on the Soviet months to serve to complete her
Shams village and your alleged
Union to release her daughter, recently imposed one-year sen-
accomplices were rounded up by
tence for "anti-Soviet activities."
Israeli security forces last week. who suffers from nephritis and
An urgent appeal to Sen. Edward
Kanj confessed to working for asthma.
M. Kennedy to intercede with the
She described the special cell Soviet Union on behalf of Miss
Syrian intelligence. He is being
held under administrative deten- in which Ruth was placed as hav- Aleksandrovich was made by her
ing a wet, stone floor—"If you're mother, Mrs. Rivka Aleksandro-
tion pending trial.
The Druze, a non-Arab Moslem a doctor, you know what this can vich, at a meeting last Friday in
sect inhabiting northern Israel and mean to a person with nephritis," Washington, D.C. with Kennedy.
parts of Syria, generally have not she said, adding that her daugh-
Mrs. Aleksandrovich, Currently
taken sides in the Arab-Israel con- ter must subsist on a diet of bread
flict. Israeli Druze are considered and water. (For the "crime" that in the U.S. on a speaking tour in
Ruth's behalf, went to Sen.
loyal to the Jewish state and serve warranted such treatment, see
in Israel's armed forces, a serv- story below). Ruth's father finally Kennedy "in desperation," she
ice denied to Israeli Arabs. The has been permitted to see her told the American Jewish Con-
Druze community promptly dis- and found the girl "physically gress. The senator gave her a
sociated itself from Kanj's al- broken down," Mrs. Aleksandro- sympathetic hearing and prom-
ised "to do everything he could"
vich reported.
leged spying activities.
She was introduced by Robert to expedite the appeal, Mrs.
Kanj, 60, was formerly a mem- Leonard, prosecuting attorney of
Aleksandrovich reported.
ber of the Syrian Parliament.
Genesee County, with whom she
Mrs. Aleksandrovich telephoned
His brother, Naguib Nur a Din has become fast friends.
her husband, who told her that he
Kanj is the commanding general
The two meet in Riga, when had been notified that their daugh-
of the Syrian Army in the Dam-
Leonard was on a fact-finding trip ter was to be moved to a prison
ascus district.
through the Soviet Union. She paid
Arrested as Kanj's alleged go- high tribute to those non-Jews, "far away because in all of Lat-
between with Syrian intelligence like Leonard, who have lifted their via there is no prison strict enough
was a Druze sergeant in the Syrian voices on behalf of oppressed So- for such a political prisoner."
Mrs. Aleksandrovich placed the
Army and the latter's father and viet Jewry.
call
from Chicago where she had
two brothers, all of Bajdal Shams
Mrs. Aleksandrovich recounted just finished addressing a joint
village. All face trial.
the events surrounding Ruth's ar- meeting of the board of directors
The spy ring reportedly supplied rest, trial and imprisonment—a of the Jewish Federation and the
Syrian intelligence with maps of story that has come to symbolize Jewish Welfare Fund.
Israeli positions and documents the will of young Soviet Jews to
detailing weapons deployment and assert their national identity.
Her listeners were reminded
other information.
that she is only one of many moth-
ers who suffer similarly. "My
daughter is no exception," she
Son of Murdered
said. "Any other Jewish girl who
Tunisian Rabbi Says
wanted to go to Israel could have
gone through the same suffering."
NEW YORK—Dr. John W. Knel-
Killer a Palestinian
The decision to leave her daugh-
TEL AVIV (JTA) — The son of ter (and husband) behind and go ler, president of Brooklyn College,
Tunisian Rabbi Matzliah Maazouz, to Israel was not easy to make, assured leaders of the American
Jewish Congress meeting to dis-
who was murdered last January, Mrs. Aleksandrovich said.
cuss the recent open conflict there
claimed that Tunisian authorities
But when the Soviet authori-
between black and Jewish stu-
concealed the true identity of the
ties, upset at her interview with
killer. Meir Maazouz, himself a Leonard, pushed a visa at her, dents, that he would not hesitate
to use an injunction against any
rabbi, who arrived here June 2
she accepted for herself and militant group on the campus that
with his family, said he learned
her son. What convinced her was engaged in violence.
from a Jewish eye-witness to the the fact that her son was ap-
murder that his father's killer was proaching age 18, when he would
The AJCongress group was told
a Palestinian, not a Tunisian de-
by Dr. Kneller that Brooklyn Col-
be drafted into the Russian
scribed by the authorities as ment- Army. She also knew that help
lege denied the right of any group
ally deranged.
for her daughter could be ob- to declare parts of the campus or
The elder Maazouz was fatally tained only from outside—by
student activity buildings off-
shot on his way to the synagogue.
bounds to any other group.
carrying her story to the Jews
His son said the photograph of the
of the free world.
Dr. Kneller also disclosed that
alleged murderer published by the
"Your corning here," Mrs. Alek- kosher kitchen facilities would be
authorities was not that of the ac- sandrovich told the audience, "is made available to serve the needs
tual killer. He also said that Tuni- proof 'you American Jews are a of the large Orthodox student body
sian authorities permitted only people . . . We Soviet Jews are a at Brooklyn, and that a represen-
three of the 20 synagogues in Tu- people . . . And it is proof that tative intergroup council would be
nisia to be open during the High we and you are one people with created to reduce Negro-Jewish
Holidays last year.
the same future and the same lot tensions on the campus.
Brooklyn College
President Pledges
to Curb Violence
dean,
Shiff asked. She claimed that the
number of Jews permitted to leave
Russia was "mere tokenism."
Referring to his meeting with
Kosygin in Moscow, Trudeau said
that while in the Soviet Union for
a 10-day tour ending May 28, " 14
expressed to Mr. Kosygin the•
widespread concern in Canada
over the alleged refusal of the So-
viet government to permit its Jew-
ish citizens to emigrate to Israel
or to other countries of their
choice. I was assured by Mr. F
gin that these allegations were
well founded and ,that, in particu-
lar, his government had permitted
the exit of Jews to Israel for many
months in substantial numbers.
"I might add," Trudeau continu-_
ed, "that Mr. Kosygin's statement
has been corroborated by th
go on trial himself Thursday.
The 33-year-old Kukui, who has Canadian government from other
a 31-year-old wife, Ella, and a 6- independent sources."
year-old daughter, applied for an
emigration visa a year ago. Sour- Lebanon Negotiating
ces said an anti-Kukui article re-
cently appeared in the controlled for Purchase of More
Sverdlovsk press.
Arms From France
Trudeau Scored for Accepting
PARIS (JTA)—A Lebanese dele-;
Kosygin's Word That Many Jews gation headed by the defense min-
Permitted To Emigrate
ister, has been negotiating here for
MONTREAL (JTA)—Mrs. Cath- the purchase of additional French
erine Shiff, an official of the Cana- arms and modern radar equipment
According to reliable sources,.
dian Jewish Congress, castigated
Canada's Premier Pierre Elliot the negotiations have not been con-
Trudeau Sunday night for "accept- cluded and will be resumed in.
ng a statement" by Premier Beirut next month. The delegation
Aleksei N. Kosygin that substan- attended the International Air
ial numbers of Soviet Jews are Show at Le Bourget Airport.
being permitted to emigrate to
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Mrs. Shiff presided at a rally
attended by 1,000 persons honor- •
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**********************
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