THE. DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 2, 1975 IS
Leviev's Wife Appeals Husband's Death Sentence
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TORONTO(JTA) — The
wife of Mikhail Leviev, a
Moscow Jew sentenced to
death, said that she has just
filed an appeal for clemency
to President Nikolai Pod-
gorny of the Supreme Soviet
and begged people through-
out the world to support her
plea with appeals of their
own to the Soviet authori-
ties, "before it is too late,"
since it was confirmed that
the Soviet Supreme Cou-rt
has upheld Leviev's death
.entente.
\The message of despera-
.: . - 16n was delivered by Mrs.
Sofia Leviev in a telephone
call from Moscow to Mrs.
Genya N. Intrator, vice
chairman of the Canadian
Committee for Soviet Jewry
in Toronto who conveyed it
to the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency.
Mrs. Leviev said that ap-
peals for clemency should
be sent to Olga Gregoryevna
Kolchina, chairwoman of
the Supreme Soviet of the
Federation of Russian So-
cialist Republics (RSSSR)
and to President Podgorny
who is the authority of last
resort.
She explained, accord-
ing to Mrs. Intrator, that
under Soviet law, death
sentences cannot be car-
ried out until appeals for
clemency are denied, "but
that can happen very
quickly."
Leviev, who once man-
aged a large government
store in Moscow, was ac-
cused of alleged economic
crimes and was sentenced to
death by the Soviet Su-
preme Court last Dec. 8. On
April 22, his lawyer was in-
formed that his appeals
against the verdict had been
denied, Mrs. Leviev told
Mrs. Intrator. She said'that
her husband refuses to ap-
peal for clemency on his
own behalf because, he says,
"I am not guilty of what I
am sentenced for. I will not
appeal for clemency. I
should be given a just trial."
In New York, as part of a
concerted drive to reverse
the sentence imposed on
Mark Nashpitz and Boris
Tsitlionok, New York City
Commissioner of Human
Rights Eleanore Holmes
Norton appealed to Soviet
officials to allow Nashpitz
and Tsitlionok to join their
families in Israel.
In her appeal she write:
"Despite vast differences in
political and cultural tradf-
dons among the nations of
e world, there is increas-
g ly a world consensus that
the right to peacefully peti-
tion one's government, to
speak without fear and to
move freely are basic rights
owed every human being.
Those committed to these
principles believe that na-
tional boundaries cannot
limit their application.
Thus, men and women
throughout the world are
deeply concerned by the
`cases of Dr. Mark Nashpitz
and Boris Tsitlionok who
were sentenced to exile for
attempting to demonstrate
for the right to emigrate
from the Soviet Union."
City Commissioner of
Investigations Nicholas
Scopetta also cabled Gen-
eral Procurator Rudenko
protesting the severe sent-
ence of five years in exile.
Meanwhile, appeals by
Nashpitz and Tsitlionok
from their five-year exile
sentences have been rejected
by the Supreme Court of the
Russian Federation, accord-
ing to reports received here.
the two Jewish activists
were convicted for partici-
pating in -a demonstration
for free emigration for So-
viet Jews.
Meanwhile, seven resi-
dents of Minneapolis and St.
Paul held a three-day hun-
ger strike last week in sym-
pathy for Vladimir Slepak
and his family who began a
hunger strike April 13. At
the start of their fast, the
seven Jews said they were
joining with "dozens of
other people in communities
across the United States, in
Canada, England and Eu-
rope, in a demonstration of
sympathy and solidarity
with a man who deserves
our utmost respect and ad-
miration. Vladimir Slepak
symbolizes for all of us the
spirit and strength of the
Soviet Jewish exodus move-
ment."
Slepak began the third
week of his hunger strike
Sunday in protest against
five years of official refusal
to allow him and his family
to emigrate. According to
sources in the United
States, Slepak told Western
newsmen that he was still
feeling well on a diet of min-
eral water and would con-
tinue his fast "as long as I
can."
In Brussels, 2,000 per-
sons marched through the
streets in a massive Bel-
gian solidarity for Soviet
Jews. The rally was coor-
dinated by the Committee
of Belgian Jewish Organi-
zations.
Aleksandr Voronel, the
prominent Soviet Jewish
physicist who, after a long
struggle, was allowed to
leave for Israel at the begin-
ning 'of this year, called
upon scientists in the West
to exert pressure on the So-
viet government not to per-
secute Jewish and non-Jew-
ish dissident scientists in
the USSR.
Addressing a press con-
ference at the Commodore
Hotel here, sponsored by
the Committee of Con-
cerned Scientists, Voronel
noted that the Soviets "gain
more" than the U.S. from
the Scientific Exchange
Program which was signed
in 1972. In view of this, he
added, American scientists
are in a position to exert
pressure on the Soviets with
regard tb the plight of Jew-
ish scientists in the USSR.
He stressed, however, that
Western scientists should
not break all contacts with
the Soviets.
Voronel said that mem-
bers of the weekly scientific
seminar in Moscow are sub-
ject to stepped-up pressure
and harassment by the au-
thorities.
Cabinet Urges Political Debate
to Draft Geneva Peace Plan
JERUSALEM (JTA) — the cabinet their public urg-
The cabinet decided to hold ing that Israel begin prepar-
a full-dress "political de- ing a peace plan for presen-
bate" at a date to be fixed tation at Geneva.
by Premier Yitzhak Rabin.
But Yitzhak Raphael, a
The decision followed pres- minister of the National
sure from a number of min- Religious Party spoke out
- - isters for new political,initi- against either initiative. To
atives and for the drafting present new partial settle-
of an overall Israeli peace ment ideas would look like
plan in advance of Geneva.
knuckling under to pres-
The.ministers held a four- sures which followed the
hour "question and observa- collapse of last month's
tion" session following For- shuttle talks, he contended.
eign Minister Yigal Allon's He also claimed that no
report on his visit to the overall settlement scenarios
U.S. last week.
likely to be proposed by Is-
Allon reiterated his feel- rael would be acceptable to
ing that the dialogue with the Arabs.
the U.S. had been reopened
along less tense lines follow-
ing his meeting with Secre- Booklet Offers
tary of State Henry A. Kis- Aid for Individuals
singer in Washington. He
recalled the statement he
Information. about gov-
and Kissinger read to the ernment programs for indi-
press following their meet- viduals can be found in a
ing in which they promised new pamphlet published by
to try to coordinate the Is-
United Community Services
raeli and U.S. positions.
with Torch Drive dollars
The official cabinet deci- provided by United Founda-
sion said Rabin and Allon tion.
would bring draft resolu-
Called "How to Survive
tions to the "political de- Unemployment, Recession,
bate." Cabinet Secretary Inflation," the publication
Gershon Avner said it was contains easy-to-under-
not yet known whether stand information about
these drafts would concern how and where to apply for
further possible efforts at food stamps, medical assist-
a partial settlement or an ance and various kinds of
overall peace scenario to financial aid. It also lists
be presented by the Israeli places to contact for credit
delegates at Geneva.
counseling and legal serv-
At the same time, Inde- ices.
pendent Liberal Party min-
Copies are available by
isters Moshe Kol and Gi- calling Community Infor-
deon Hausner repeated to mation Services, 833-3430.
It was reported in New
York that internationally
famous ballet star Vladi-
mir Gelvan was one of
the more than 200 Soviet
JeWish refugees who
reached New York Tues-
day with the help of the
United HIAS Service, the
worldwide Jewish migra-,
tion agency.
One of Russia's foremost'
young classical dancers;
28-year-old Gelvan has per-
formed in the Soviet Union
with the Bolshoi, Kirov,
Opera Theatre and Riga
companies since 1962. He
has toured in East Ger-
many, Hungary, Finland,
Britain, France, Ireland, It-
aly, the Netherlands, Egypt
and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Columbia
University President Wil-
liam J. McGill vowed:
"Personally, I will not re-
ceive or deal with . any visitor
from the Soviet Union so
long as Vitali Rubin is de-
nied the right to accept an
appointment to teach here."
He spoke at a midday
rally on the Columbia cam-
pus in support of Dr. Rubin,
the Soviet scholar who has
been denied permission to
leave the Soviet Union to
assume a teaching post at
Columbia. Dr. McGill re-
viewed in detail two years of
efforts by the university to
secure an exit visa for Dr.
Rubin.
Dr. McGill said he
would not bar exchanges
between Columbia and
Soviet scholars because
that would violate princi-
ples of academic freedom
and might damage the
rights of faculty or stu-
dents. But he promised to
"use every effort I can
muster to persuade my col-
leagues voluntarily to
withdraw, to make the
same kind of commitment
that I have' made."
Dr. Rubin, 51, is an expert
on classical Chinese philoso-
phy. He was invited in 1973
to join Columbia as a visit-
ing scholar. He has report-
edly been fired from his aca-
demic post in Moscow, jailed
for parasitism, harrassed by
Soviet authorities and re-
peatedly denied an exit visa
either to the United States
or Israel.
In Washington, the criti-
cal problems of the plight of
Soviet Jews, and America's
response to these problems,
will be discussed Sunday
and Monday at a two-day
national leadership assem-
bly called by the National
Conference on Soviet Jewry.
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