Stalin-Era Pogroms Could Recur, Says Freed Poet
NEW YORK (JTA)-Joseph Ker-
ler, the 53-y,ear;old Soviet -Yiddish
Poet ;who was - finally alltiwed to
emigrate to ,Israel seven-;:months
..,,ago„ *dared. that Vor.lir Jewiry
hag demonstrated through its "unit-
ed mass effort" on behalf of So-
viet Jewry, that it - is 'one- nation
with a comon experience."
- But while-Kerler: expressed his
gratitude to Jews in America and
throughout, the Western world for
helping •Soviet Jews whci want to
emigrate to Israel, he warned that
"if we do- not increase our vigi-
lance now over what is happening
to Soviet Jews," the anti-Jewish
pogroms of the Stalin era "can be
repeated now on a larger scale."
Kerler, accompanied by his wife.
arrived in this country to address
the Jewish Labor Committee's .1971
biennial convention last weekend
and will afterwards-make a speak-
ing tour of - 20 cities, including De-
troit Nov. As: -
He'said only if Soviet lews'!`yrin
the right to maintain contactalyith
the rest of the world. Jewry": Will
there be' a future for 'think ' in
Russia. , • -
Kerler, 'declined , todiscuss- :indi-
vidual groups of Western Jews
--fighting - the -- .Struggle -: for --Soviet
Jewry, babe emphasized the_need
to keep demonstrations peaceful.
Kerler said that while officially
there are over 100 :Yiddish-au-
-Mors in -Russia "I believe that
there, are Jew dozen real
Yiddish' Writert." Whereas before
1948 one publishing house put out
VA_ Yiddish works, ,be said,. !Co-,:
atintit Ionr• Or ave_
diSti"hoOks' ire published -eachl
year.
He•,acknowledged that- "to,trans-
plant, roOti AO new country is' a
difficUlt prdblem" for 'Idealistic"
Soviet lJews, lint-he said :that- Pby
and large," • the Soviet emigres
to Israel know they will overcome
the difficulties of "a rocky soil be-
cause the rocks are their own."
The widow of Peretz Markish,
Soviet Jewish writer purged by
Stalin, appealed directly to Presi- -
dent Georges.. Pompidou...of
France to intervene ;to• !Win her
and her •'son secure ,. - emigration'
visas so that they can join rela-•
fives in Israel, JewishioureesIo
the USSR reported. •
She appealed for his help on the
grounds of her husband's literary
works and her own contribution to
Franco-Soviet relations as a trans-
lator and interpreter. -
Mrs. Markish and her son David
have been seeking exit •perMits for
seieratyears. Two Week's;ago .4eY
were told that their-'visas Weidd
be ready on Oct. ,25, but no -visas
were issued to them on that date.
When they visited the central
visa office in Moscow they were
told by the Red Army general in
charge that their case was post-
poned and would be given a re,
hearing after two months.
The Markishes had begun to dis-
. mantle their home in anticipation
of leaving the USSR.
The American Jewish Conference
on Soviet Jewry confirmed the re-
lease of all 92 Soviet Jews detained
in Moscow last week after they
attempted to deliver a petition to
the Communist Party Central Com-
mittee. The petition asked that
they be told when their exit visa
would be granted.
The, 92 Jews from six cities had
been arrested after a • five-man
delegation entered the party head-
qUarters. • • -
" Soviet Latvian authorities are:
planning to include. a. Jets, in - a-
sdeitific delegation. :wan• ,
abroad, Jewish sources inillnittin.
• They Identified. Lim as
Mikkaill.brixInterleh Dentitehand:
. - elaittted. hiS mission would be - to':
_act as: a counter-propagandist.;
agril*Afewislt groups protestlitg-1
the', 1reahmetit- of -Jews in Ate
Jewish 'sources 'reported - that a
Jewish man in Riga and a 'Jewish
woman in Moscow were physically
woman after applying for exit
visas - to go to Israel. - - •
The Man, identified as. Avik
Gleser.- was allegedly attacked and
severely beaten by hooligaiis when
he tried.. to obtain the character
reference needed to, gera visa. He
was reportedly Warned to ."forget
about Israel" unless he wanted
furthei;• -•_punishment.
. - •According4oLtbnaourees, Mrs:.
' Ela Michlis was severely scalded
- by a :neighbor in the communal
kitchen of her Moscow flit after
her husband applied:for visas for
• the' family.
The attacker was arrested. and
sentenced to 15 days in jail, al-
though, according to the sources,
inflicting serious. injury carries ':a
five-year . prison - term at hard
,labor ,the
under.
.,
Soviet penal Code
The sources said. Mrs. Michlis
will be scarred for life. Her, hus-
band was fired from his job._
The Student Struggle for - Soviet.
Jewry announced that it -would con-
duct' "aTseleeted 'economic boycott
of. selected ,liussiari.Products."
The - ainiciuncernent, followed,
.derniinstration by theSSSJ inlrent
Of Macy's -and Glint:ilea' department
stores . toprotest-the stores': Selling-
Conference Reaffirms Support
for Mitchell Pledge to Aired Jews .
NEW YORK („ITA).-The
therefore welcome the affirmative
declaration by Attorney General
John .Mitchell,.: . . that he would
,and utilize
exercise his cretion
is
the existhig.. parole procedure of
our immigration and naturalization
laWs to assure the adinission of
Soviet 'Jews to the United States,
shOuld - Soviet Jews be allowed to
leave,"
Maass' statement singled out for
commendation 'Max M. Fisher of
Detroit, president of the Council
of Jewish Federations and Wel-
fare. Funds, whose efforts secured
Mitchell's letter to Celler, and Rep.
Edward 1: Koch (D., N.Y.), whose
bill for 30,000 non-quota visas for
Soviet Jews raised the level of
public attention on the issue.
Rep. Koch has asked President
Nixon to intercede, on behalf of
ethigration rights for Soviet Jews
when heirisits Moscow next May
for it_ summit conference with
Soviet leaders.
In a letter to Mr. Nixon, Koch
stated: "One major issue that I
hope you Will include in the agenda
of your' discussion is the desire of
many Jews to 'emigrate from the
Soviet Union." • -",• • -
Traveling With 'the Soviet JeWry
Freedom Bus from Seattle to Wash-
Tsipora..Wolf, 25,
ing.tOn,
and Dia Wolk, 27, Soviet -activists
now living in Israel with their fam-
ilies.
Miss 'Wolf and Wolk agreed that
all the lettefs sentto Soviet offi-
cials and - 011,_ the protests and
demonstraticink, help pressure the
Soviet government to react to pub-
lic opinion, biit called for more
protests _to the 1,J,,S, government
and to Airierican'officiala. '
can Jewish Conference on Soviet
Jewry sought to clarify what it
said was "some confusion" over
the position it, took on Attorney
„general' John,c-Mitche1Vs- :promise
tn;utilize his existing 'authority to
admit to the United States, Soviet
Jews allowed to leave Russia.
Pointing out`-;teat 'this is an '
The Conference referred to .the -I, celectiott .year,2the titree4 Amerit'
statement by its president,,Ricliarci ;:ean$,trayeling witlithem stressed'
Maass, read at a press -conference --- that, this is•the year 4, rr paCpres=
Called' by ileii:- Ezilintief Geller "stii?e ° on Piesidetit
(D., N.Y.) in 'Washington it which
Wolk: waited 14 years after ap-
Celler made public the letter. :Pi)f.Utg Jor,ins,first-ivisa-Lto. -A°. ;to.
received from Mitchell containing ;Israel.i.cbeftireq-411*::Stiviecatithot2_
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
16—Friday, November• S, 1971
ities granted him permission to t CAI:S-40 ' H 'DRIVEN
leave. Miss Wolf waited only 31/2
To any stotirl.:::Also shrivels_ furnish-
years. Each of their families then
ed • to - drive, Your Car anywhero.
had to pay the price of $1,000 per
teyogy 14
1.4...
`2" 1"4!$C- fk"sid
adult to leave.
DRIVEAWAY S E RVICE
'Spiritual Annihilation' Charged
by Georgian Jews Coming to Israel
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Twenty-
one Jewish, emigres from the So 7
(Continued on Page 17)
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That statement, it said, repre-
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