Blood Plot Against Syrian Jews Charged; 2 Jewish Leaders Seized NEW YORK (JTA)—Rabbi Joseph Harari, director of the Committee for the Res- cue of Syrian Jewry, has sent a telegram to United Na- tions Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, urging him to in- vestigate the murder of four Jewish women in Syria and "to alleviate the plight of the Jewish minority by calling upon the Syrian government to permit their departure." At the same time, Rabbi Harari charged that the re- rted arrest of two Jewish Hi along with two Moslems for the murder was an "ap- parent blood plot against the small Jewish community" which has maintained a clean record throughout its 3,000- year history in Syria. The Associated Press and the New York Times re- ported over the weekend that a gang of smugglers had killed the women. The AP said that Syrian security men had arrested four members of the gang who were de- scribed as two Syrian Jews and two Syrian Moslem Arabs. According to the Times, a diplomat in Damascus said he believed the four women had been carrying valuables and were robbed by the smuggler-guides who killed them to avoid detection. However, Rabbi Harari said the two Jews who were arrested are "respectable members of distinguished Jewish families" and were praised as "men of integrity by those who know them personally." To believe that these two men "would go to a cave in the mountains to participate in the robbery and murder of four girls from their own community is an insult to the intelligence of the en- lightened world and a slap in the face of justice and human decency," Rabbi Harari said. "The courage' displayed by the oppressed Syrian Jews who organized a demonstra- tion in the streets of Damas- cus to protest the murders despite police threats clearly indicates that the Syrian gov- ernment cannot succeed in concealing the fact." Several news reports over the weekend reported the bodies of the women were found on the Lebanese border which they had been alleg- edly trying to cross in an attempt to flee Syria. The original report in the French _daily Le Figaro, cit- ing a "sure source" said the bodies were found on a street the Jewish quarter of amascus. Israeli sources re- fuse to rule out the possi- bility the slayings took place in Damascus. The American Sephardi Federation has condemned the Syrian government for the murder. Urging the free world and men of good will everywhere not to remain silent about this murder, Haim Eliachar, chairman of the board of ASF, declared: We condemn the Syrian government for their inex- cusable barbarism against helpless Jewish 'citizens' of Syria who are neither per- mitted to live and work as Syrians, nor to leave. The unconscionable imprisonment and murder of women makes their action more than a crime against a people; it is a crime against the world." There are more than 150,- 000 Sephardic Jews in the United States. Many of them are refugees from Arab Syria and not allowed to leave, said Eliachar. Eliachar also declared that any disengagement talks be- tween Israel and Syria under U.S. auspices must include a provision for the freedom of the Jews of Syria. He added that pressure must be placed upon the Syrian government to "cease the abuse of Jews and allow them the right to emigrate" under the Universal Declara- tion of Human Rights, and urged passage in Congress of the House Resolution 7272 r . "For the Relief of Certain Distressed Aliens," which calls for the U.S. to grant 60,000 special visas for Jews from all Arab lands. The four Jewish women who were murdered were identified by the Israeli Con- sulate as the three Zeybak sisters — Toni, 22, Laura, 23, and Farah, 24, and Eva Saad. According to a report from Jerusalem, the four had been raped and tortured to death. Meanwhile, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef called on "all the enlightened na- tions of the world to rescue the oppressed Jews of Syria from the barbarians sur- rounding them." He was speaking at a memorial prayer service in Tel Aviv for the four young women slain in Damascus. * * World Parley in Support of Israel Urged PHILADELPHIA (JTA)- The presidents of major Jew- ish organizations in the Uni- ted States were called upon "to convene a world Jewish convention in Jerusalem with- in 30 days to mobilize support for Israel in the coming fate- ful period." The appeal was initiated by Brith Sholom's national administrative committee, meeting here, on recommen- dation by the pro-Israel fra- ternal organization's national president, David Young. Young underscored the ur- gent nature of the conference by suggesting that "not only organization representatives and community leaders be invited but also the best Jew- ish minds in all spheres of national life who are commit- ted to Israel's survival." "The conference," he said, "would demonstrate the Jew- ish people's solidarity with Israel and constitute an ex- pression of awareness that the fate of the Jewish people and Israel are mutually linked." Albert Liss, Brith Sholom's national executive director, said that "the Jewish com- munity must be on guard to see that Israel's legitimate rights and interests as a sov- ereign power are not sacri- ficed to the immediate eco- nomic and geo-political goals and prejudices of the Big PoWers and their subordinate nation-states." The scheme of things seems to be that it's easier to make a bad matter worse than it is to make a good matter better. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS The paper, official publi- cation of the governmental "Neo Destur" party, said that altogether 10 people have been arrested, "most of whom are Jews." The Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned from Tuni- sian Jews now in Paris that contrary to the "Al Alam" report, 17 Jews have been arrested. These include mem- bers of such prominent Tuni- sian Jewish families as the Memis, Souyias and Bok- hobzas. Most of those arrested and still detained at the Tunis Central Prison are accused of having tried to smuggle out of the country foreign currencies. Some are charged with transferring moneys to Israel. According to these sources, five other Tunisian Jews wanted by the local police have managed to flee abroad and are now in France. The 17 were arrested after customs officials last week searched the diplomatic pouch of the South Korean Embassy in Tunis. The pouch was found to contain, say these sources, over 1,000,000 U.S. dollars, as well as docu- ments enumerating people sending money abroad. It also included a "code list" of banking accounts in Switzerland, France and Is- rael. Families of the arrested men have appealed to Tuni- sian President Habib Bour- guiba to intervene on their behalf. Bourguiba, according to these sources, has refused, saying that the case was "a financial criminal incident not related to the status of the Jewish community there." In spite of this assurance, a number of Tunisian. Jews have already left the coun- try and have applied for per- mission to settle in France. The sources say that more Tunisian Jews plan to leave their homes for either France, the United States or Israel. There are about 8,000 Jews left in Tunisia. . Friday, March 22, 1974-9 We wish to express, on behalf of the millions of Jews of the world, great appreciation for your, response to the 1974 Allied Jewish Campaign-Israel Emergency Fund. The 1974 Campaign was launched during an emergency and carried through in an unconventional manner. Because you responded with unprecedented generosity, the human- itarian programs in Israel continue to meet the increased problems of a society disrupted by war. Tunisian Jews Accused of Illegal Dealings PARIS (JTA) — The Tuni- sian daily "Al Alam" re- ported Tuesday that several French and Tunisian Jews have been arrested and charged with illegal dealings in foreign currencies. Jews the world over thank you . . . Because you responded with generosity, those dependent upon us will be able to receive help. We will continue to strengthen our own community, support vital cultural, edu- cational and health programs, and secure human rights. We know full well that the task is not yet complete. There are still many things which remain to be done. And there are still Jews who have not made their gift to the 1974 Campaign. The Detroit Jewish community can be proud of its response to Jewish needs particularly if everyone joins in a full measure of generous giving. On behalf of the services we support and the people they help and, in behalf of the organized community, we ex- press our gratitude. 19 74 ALLIED JEWISH CAMPAIGN- ISRAEL EMERGENCY FUND -1 'ti. 9 William M. Davidson Lewis S. Grossman General Chairmen Jug Mandell L. Berman President, Jewish Welfare Federation 163 Madison Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48226