American Legal Expert Surmounts
.
Many Obstacles to Meet Soviet Jews

A prominent American pro- seeking to leave the Soviet
fessor of law is back from Union. "Exposure to secrets"
the Soviet Union, disappoint- appeared to be the rationale
ed that officials refused to for the government's refusal
let him observe the work- of emigration rights for sci-
ings of the Soviet judicial entists.
system but convinced, never-
Prof. Dash promised that
theless, that the trip was a he would try to encourage
success.
American scientists and law-
Prof. Samuel Dash of yers to meet to consider
Georgetown University Law whether there is any legiti-
Center and his wife Sara mate basis under the Uni-
visited the USSR with the versal Declaration of Human
intention of meeting judges Rights to restrict such emi-
and lawyers who are guar- gration on the basis of ex-
dians of the legal system, posure to secrets, and if so,
which, on paper, is a good what criteria should be used
one. On this score, all doors in exercising this restriction.
were closed.
The Dashes agreed to
Rut the Dashes also were carry back to the U.S. two
armed with a book of Soviet petitions addressed to Presi-
Jewish contacts. The results dent Nixon and Sen. Mc-
of these meetings were far Govern, signed by the Kiev
more successful.
activists seeking help in their
Several experiences stand efforts to go In Israel.
out in Prof. Dash's report
Another not:title experience
of his visit. The first, was occurred in Kharkov, where
a meeting with the famous activist movements have
physicist and human rights been restricted. The Dashes
leader, Dr. Valery Chalidze, were invited, in no uncertain
co-founder of the Soviet Hu- terms, to visit the site of a
man Rights Committee.
new subway being dug in
Dr. Chalidze, whose ef- Kharkov.
forts concentrate on fair in-
"The place to which we
terpretation of the Soviet were taken was certainly not
constitution in the area of a tourist attraction," wrote
civil rights, had been threat- Prof. Dash. "It was a build-
ened with arrest if he con- ing site swarming with con-
tinued his activities. Former. struction workers. We were
ly the director of a major required to climb four steep
laboratory, Chalidze had been flights of stairs to the office
dismissed from this position of the chief engineer. He
and given minor work as- gave us a brief introductory
signments with little scien- lecture on the construction of
tific significance.
the subway. When this was
"I expressed surprise," concluded, his next announce-
writes Prof. Dash, "that ment made everything clear.
scientists and not lawyers He informed us that we were
were championing human then going down the elevator
rights causes in the Soviet shaft into the tunnel. I asked
Union. Chalidze was amused whether we could accomplish
by my reference to lawyers the same result by looking at
as supporters of human photographs or models, but
rights. He explained that So- he insisted that it was nec-
viet lawyers could not be ex- essary for him to show us
pected to support human the tunnel.
rights causes since their very
"However, he cautioned us
positions indicated that they that we would have to be
were instruments of the very careful in the tunnel,
state ...
since there were at least six
"The scientist, Chalidze inches or a foot of water on
said, does not deal with ide- the floor of the tunnel and
ology in his laboratory work, much mud and construction
and can achieve prominence equipment.
in the Soviet system even
"For this reason, he said,
though he privately opposes we could not ,go down in the
the political and legal pol- tunnel dressed as we were.
icies of the Soviet authori- He said we would have to
ties. It was for this reason change our clothes into over-
that the scientists had alls which he would supply,
emerged as the spokesmen including boots and a hard
for human rights causes. In hat. Sara and our Intourist
order to be effective in this guide were escorted to one
role, scientists, like Chalidze, room, where they could
had become experts in Soviet change, and the chief engi-
constitutional and statutory neer took me to his office.
law."
"This, then, was the plan
Prof. Dash invited Chalidze developed to obtain my cloth.
to address the Institute of lug for a better search for
Criminal Law and Proced- my contact book. I first tried
ure at Georgetown, and Cha- to pull the overalls,. which
lidze since than has applied had no pockets, over my
for an exit visa. It is doubt- pants. The chief engineer
ful that the Soviet govern- grew frantic. Although all of
ment will let him leave the his earlier speaking to us
country, but the invitation had been in Russian, trans-
may be helpful in preventing lated by our Intourist guide,
his arrest.
he now spoke in English,
In Kiev, there were a num- crying out, 'No, take pants
ber of secret meetings be- off!'
tween Dash and Jewish ac-
"I persisted in trying to
tivists, each of which "would put the overalls over my
have been sufficient to sub- pants, but he again shouted,
ject these scientists and eng- "Do as I do!" and with this
ineers to arrest and convic- statement, he began taking
tion. Yet they didn't seem his own pants off.
to care. They were desperate
"I turned slightly, removed
men seeking to communicate the small contact book from
through us to the rest of the my pants pocket, and fit it
world, and especially Amer- into the elastic waistband of
ica, their urgent plea for my shorts. Then, I removed
help to leave the Soviet my pants and put on the
Union."
overalls. This action was un-
Rumors were starting to seen by the chief engineer. '
float that there would be Leaving my wallet which:
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special fees levied against —
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sisa permit, academicians THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

contained money, meal cou-
pons and various business
cards behind, I joined the
girls and the chief engineer
and we descended into the
tunnel.
"The floor of the tunnel
was a bed of mud and water.
We sloshed around in this
mudhole for an hour and a
half listening to an endless
recitation of construction
techniques. No matter how
frequently I requested to re-
turn to the surface, I re-
ceived the assurance that
there were still important
things to lie seen.
"We continued to spend our
time skipping in the water
and the mud and ducking
various construction m a -
chines and hanging beams.
"When we returned to the
surface and we dressed into
our street clothes, I found
that the hotel meal coupons
and the various cards which
I had kept in my wallet In
a particular order had been
completely rearranged. What
the authorities did not know
was that In addition to my
keeping the contact book on
me, Sara's red straw hand-
bag, which she took down
into the tunnel with her, con-
tained the petitions from the
Jews of Kiev, as well as a
number of other letters and
communications we had
agreed to take out of the
Soviet Union.
"This subway adventure in
the city of Kharkov now
seems quite humorous to us
and to those who hear about
it. At the time we were ex-
periencing it, however, it did
not seem funny to us. Indeed
while were were in the mud-
and water-filled tunnel, we
had moments of panic, real-
izing that a serious effort
was being made by the So-
viet authorities to find out
who had sent us to the
Soviet Union and who were
the persons we had been
asked to contact."
He concludes:
"When we met with Dr.
Chalidze and told him that
people in America knew of
his efforts a n d supported
him, he informed us that our
visit alone gave him reason
for continuing his efforts. He
said that he and his col-
leagues frequently felt cut
off from the rest of the world
and were not certain that
they could continue their
fight for justice. Indeed, he
had not been sure that he
could carry on much longer
before we had come to see
him. Now when he heard,
first hand, of the support of
his and his colleagues' ef-
forts from America, he was
willing to continue his cam-
paign."

British Pro-Zionist
New Minister of State

LONDON (JTA) - Julian
Amery, a minister of hous-
ing and lifelong Anglo-Zion-
ist, has been named to re-
place Joseph Godber as
minister of state in the for-
eign office, the second rank-
ing post to Foreign Secretary
Sir Alec Douglas-Home in
the British diplomatic hier-
archy.
Amery is a son of the late
Leopold Amery. who was a
Zionist supporter and the ac-
tual author of the Balfour
Declar a tion when he was
secretary to the cabinet dur
mg World War I.
.
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Friday, Nov. 10, 1972-2'l

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TECHNION'S 5 I th ANNIVERSARY
GOLDEN JUBI E CELEBRATION
HONORING ENJAMIN WILK .

BENJAMIN WILK

Guest of Honor

GEN. DAN TOLKOWSKI

Former Commander
Israel Air Force

The 27th Annula Dinner of the Detroit Chapter, American Technion
Soicety, marks the beginning oil the Golden Jubilee Celebration, Tech-
nion-Isreal Institute of Technology's 50th Anniversary. It also honors
Benjamin Wilk, one of Technion's founders and outstanding leaders,
through the establishment of the - Benjamin Wilk Scholarship Fund." A
goal of 500 scholarships for under privileged, exceptional Israeli Stu-
dents (a top-priority need at the Technion) has been set. Sam Rich,
Chairman of the Jubilee Committee will present highlights of Technicon's
50 years of achievement and announce plans for the Jubilee Celebration.

General Dan Tolkowsky, distinguished guest speoker, is a former Com-
mander of Isreal's Air force. e served as a volunteer fighter pilot
with the British Royal Air Force during World War II. At a time when
jet age seemed for removed fr m Isreal, General Tolkowsky introduced
the first jet aircraft into the Apr Force, in 1953. Today, he holds the
post of Managing Director of the Israel Discount Bank Investment Cor-
poration, and is on the Board of Directors of a variety of enterprizes,
including the IDB Bank Holding Corporation .

4

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 26

CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK

Northwestern Highway, Southfield

Cocktails at six, Dinner at seven

Dress Optional

For information and dinner reservations

PHONE 559-5190

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