Detroiter Helps Get U.S. Visas for Soviet Jews Stranded in Rome

The Yakov Koziashvili
family might still be living
penniless and stranded in
Rome were it not for the per-
sistence of a Detroit attorney
and Sen. Philip Hart.
Koziashvili, a Soviet Jew,
was granted perMission with
his family to leave the USSR
for- Israel, only to be told by
a brother already there that
due to the Yom Kippur War,
the family would be safer in
Rome.
There, Koziashvili's par-
ents, brothers and sister with
the -help of United Hias Serv-
ice and the Immigration and
Naturalization Service direc-
tor, were able to obtain visas
to the U.S. However, he, his
pregnant wife,' and two chil-
dren, were denied visas be-
cause of his membership in
the Communist Party.
It was due to that mem-

bership that Koziashvili was
three times denied a visa to
the U.S.—and he was losing
hope.
However, Koziashvili had
one thing in his favor—his
religion. Despite the prob-
lems Soviet Jews had in prac-
ticing Judaism, Koziashvili
had attended synagogue reg-
ularly on Shabat, had a reli-
gious wedding legalized with
a signed ketuba (marriage
contract) according to Jewish
law, and he had his son cir-
cuMcized according to tradi-
tibn.
Meanwhile, h i s father,
Abram, had settled in Oak
Park where he becanie a
member of Cong. Miskhan
Israel Nusach H'Ari, Luba-
vitcher Center. He attended
Shabat services regularly,
and became acquainted with
an attorney, Isadore Starr.

He told Starr of his son's
plight and religious practices,
and. Starr took the case.
Starr contacted Sen. Hart
who helped him file petitions
for a re-hearing with the im-
migration division of the U.S.
Embassy in Rome. The em-
bassy granted the hearing,
and Starr went to Rome.
In Rome, Starr contacted
Koziashvili, who produced his
ketuba and evidence of his
son's circumcision. Starr took
the evidence to Henry A.
Falcher, district director of
the INS at the U.S. Embassy
in Rome.
Starr presented the appre-
hensive Falcher with the
marriage contract which was
written entirely in Hebrew
by the chief rabbi of Bu-
chara. Falcher, asked what
the document was, and if
Starr could translate it. He

Progress Made in Resolving Trade Bill

WASHINGTON (JTA) —
President Ford has person-
ally involved himself in the
,U.S. effort to negotiate a solu-
tion to the Soviet emigration
issue and "very good pro-
gress" is being made toward
and agreement on it between
the two _countries.
This was disclosed at a
White House news conference
by Sens. Henry M. Jackson
(D., Wash.), Abraham Ribi-
coff, (D., Conn.) and Jacob
K. Javits (R., N.Y.) upon
concluding a 70-minute
breakfast conference with
Ford and Secretary of State
Henry A. Kissinger.
"We're moving in the di-
rection of an agreement,"
declared Jackson, author of
the Jackson Amendment to
the Trade Reform Bill pend-
ing in the Senate. We hope
to resolve the matter in time
by this Congress," he said.
The life of the present Con,
gre ends' Jan. 3, 1975.
Jackson disclosed that Ford
met with Soviet Ambassador
Anatoly F. Dobrynin who, the
senator said, returned earlier

than expected from Moscow
"largely for this subject" of
emigration. Dobrynin also
met with Kissinger only hours
hours after arriving from
Moscow.

Meanwhile Sen. Russell
Long (D., La.), chairman of
the Senate finance' commit-
tee, has told President Ford
that he will present a trade
bill that the President can
sign, White House Press Sec-
retary Jerald terHorst dis-
closed. TerHorst said he pre-
sumed that a, trade bill will
be passed this year.
Jewish Leaders Pleased
With White House Meeting
on Soviet Jewry Emigration
NEW YORK (JTA)—Stan-
ley H. Lowell, chairman of
the National Conference on
Soviet Jewry, and Rabbi Is-
rael Miller, chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of
Major American Jewish Or-
ganizations, said in a joint
statement that they were
"pleased at the progress re-
ported" on resolving the issue
of Soviet Jewish emigration
"as a result of the White

SkeNaNdogh emithy alb
For All Occasions

-

House meeting" bet ween
President Ford, Secretary of
State Henry A. Kissinger and
three key Senate supporters
of the Jackson Amendment.
However, it was- reported
in Washington that George F.
Kennan, former U.S. Ambas-
sador to the Soviet Union and
long a leading American ex-
pert on Soviet affairs, Tues-
day attacked the use of con-
gressional trade legislation to
ease ' Soviet restrictions on
emigration and specifically
challenged any use of this
method to help Soviet Jews
in their efforts to emigrate.
Kennan made his remarks be-
fore the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee.
While cautioning against
pitfalls in Soviet-American
trade relations, Kennan de-
clared he has "no sympathy"
for denying most favored na-
tion treatment to the Soviet
Union to bring about "an
alteration" of Soviet policy
"with respect to the emigra-
tion from Russia of its JeW-
ish citizens." Such legislation,
he said, is not a "suitable or
desirable means of exercis-
ing,pressure on a nother ,gov-
ernment."

He also found it "difficult"
to understand why the U.S.
should make "exit visas to
Soviet citizens of Jewish ori-
gin the touchstone of our en-
Call Our
tire commercial policy to-
wards that country." In this
connec tion be questioned
at
"why we should suddenly"
now make it a "major issue"
when Soviet practice, "es-
pecially with relation to
We Cater for All Occasions—Seating for 400
Jews is greatly more liberal
than it has been for decades
• in
the past."
THE BIRMINGHAM HOUSE MOTEL
The Jackson Amendment
to the trade bill pending in
MiliEsNactilsT
en
has a corner the Senate does not mention
11111111 1111111111i1.A1
Mao MIMI Anti
"Jew" or "Jewish" in any
111111naleit Mut
on comfort aspect.
ammo sem
It specifically refers
11011
1111
141111161.
-
1.
and to all Soviet citizens. How-
i:,
Mill
comments on the Jack-
convenience I ever,
son Amendment, usually re-
.1Pt•
fer to Jewish emigration even
though Sen. Henry Jackson
145 . , Hunter at Maple in the exact center of down.
(D., Wash.) himself, in
town Birmingham (by the way, Hunter is a __continuation
speeches, has pointed out the
legislation bearing his name
of Woodward).
is intended to help any Soviet
Call Mr 6-7300—J0.0-4620—Mr. John Wassil, Mgr. . citizen to emigrate without
harassment.

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RIGHT TRACK
The man who is prejudiced
in favor of what is right has
a prejudice that does no
harm.

did and Falcher let the trans-
lation go on record as an offi-
cial translation.
According to Starr, when
he reached the portion of the
ketuba which reads, " . . .
and I therefore declare
Yakov, the son of Abraham,
and Chava . . . husband and
wife, according to the Law of
Moses and of Israel," the
official threw up his hands
and said "All right, I am con-
vinced" and granted permis-
sion ,foi- the visa.
Falcher accepted Starr's
explanation that because of
Koziashvili's adherence to
Judaism, he could not ideo-
logically be a communist.
Starr also pointed out that
Koziashvili attended syna-
gogue services even as a
member of the Communist
Party.
Upon accepting the evi-
dence, Falcher issued the fol-
loWing—statement:
"In light of the evidence
which has been presented by
Attbrney Starr, it is believed
that any reasonable person
could conclude the appellant's
(Koziashvili's) membership
in the CommuniSt Party was
involuntary.
"Proceeding on this as-
sumption . . . his application
for conditional entry . . .
will be and is hereby approv-
ed. HIAS, Rome will be noti-
fied of the fact that the ap-
peal in the appellant's behalf
has been sustained and that
his application, together with
that of his wife and two chil-
dren, is approved."
After 15 months in Rome
Koziashvili, his wife and
three children, rejoined the
rest of his family last week.

12 — Friday, August 23, 1974

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