Step-by-Step
OR
Stab-by-Stab
for Israel
In Middle East
THE JEWISH NEWS
Commentary
Page 2
"OL. LXVII, No. 17
The Fourth .. .
and the Tradition
for Justice
•
Mergers .. .
the Need and the
A Weekly Review
Inadequacies
of Jewish Events
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Editorials
Page 4
$10.00 Per Year ; This Issue 30c
July 4, 1975
Crucial Decision Due Sunday
'Rejection of Villainy' Motivates
Israel 'No Capitulation' Attitude
The Need for Rededication .. .
This Fourth of July the nation needs and seeks a way
to strengthen the ideals of our democracy and to assure the
perpetuation of the principles which guided the founding
of this Republic . . . The Independence Day on the eve of
the Bicentennial is a day to inspire new courage and in-
creased faith in the principles that have made this the Land
of Freedom.
Crucial decisions will be made by the Israel government Sunday, at the meeting of the cabinet, on
the critical issues affecting Egyptian demands for abandonment of defensive Sinai areas and pressures
from the White House for Israel to yield on the Arab demands. Viewing the admittedly "rancorous"
situation as a threat to the traditional Israel-U.S. friendship, the challenge to Israel is based on the
danger of losing the support of its only friend, the American government. Dovish elements are gaining
ground for concessions to Egypt in the best interest of retaining U. S. friendship, in spite of the earlier
reactions during which President Ford was called "the villain of the peace." The urgency of Israel Ambas-
sador Simha Dinitz being called back home for consultations and the emerging tensions are viewed as
the most serious occurrences since the collapse of the Kissinger shuttle diplomacy in March.
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The position Premier Yitzhak Rabin takes on Egypt's proposals for a new
interim settlement — which the U.S. is openly urging Israel to accept to keep negotiations alive —
probably will be decisive in shaping the cabinet's fateful decision which may or may not come this
Sunday. But as of Tuesday Rabin's views were still unclear and the subject of fierce speculation in
political circles here.
The premier addressed a closed meeting of the Labor Alignment's Knesset faction Tuesday. As they
emerged from the meeting, the Labor "hawks" said Rabin was leaning toward their position that Israel's
retention of the strategic Sinai passes was preferable to an accommodation with Washington.
Labor "doves" including Housing Minister Avraham Ofer, Finance Minister Yehoshua Rabinowitz
and Labor Minister Moshe Baram, said, however, they detected an inclination by the premier to the view
that a confrontation with Washington must be avoided at all costs, even at the expense of the passes. All
who attended the meeting agreed that Rabin presented detailed arguments for and against accepting
Egypt's terms — withdrawal from the Gidi and Mitle passes and the Abu Rodeis oilfields. But he did not
commit himself one way or the other.
The premier reportedly stressed to his Alignment colleagues the risks of saying "no" to Wash-
ington. He mentioned specifically the issue of arms and supplies and the prospects that, failing an
interim accord, the U.S. would go to Geneva and there present an overall plan of its own without
prior coordination with Israel.
Defense Minister Shimon Peres, addressing the same meeting, clearly seemed to advocate rejection
of the Egyptian terms. On the other hand, former Minister of Information and former Chief of Military
U.S. Suit May Rob Bishop Trifa of Citizenship;
INS Asks Israel for WWII War Crimes Evidence
The U.S. Attorney in Detroit has formally charged Bishop Valerian D. Trifa of Grass Lake, head of the
Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, with having won his naturalization through "false and untrue" deni-
als of membership in the Iron Guard and participation in the murder of Jews and Masons in Fascist Romania
in 1941.
The suit, brought against the bishop on July 5, is the culmination of an extensive review of the Trifa case by
the Immigration and Naturalization Service following published allegations that Trifa had concealed and misre-
presented his record as a Romanian student leader and that the government had failed to challenge the naturali-
qtion despite available documentation of the irregularities.
The case against Trifa came as a result of his activities as head of the National Union of Romanian Christian
—udents, which the government in its suit called "a section of The Iron Guard" — the storm troopers of the
Fascist regime of Ion Antonescu. The suit contends that Trifa did not acknowledge the affiliation under oath.
Members of the Iron Guard were forbidden to enter the U.S. at the time the bishop arrived here as
Viorel Trifa in 1950 as a displaced person from Italy. He was ordained and elected bishop in 1951 in Chicago
and changed his name to Valerian upon his naturalization in 1957.
The suit also states that Trifa, as student leader commandant of the Iron Guard, "did advocate the killing
of Jews and Masons and did participate in the activities commencing on or about Jan. 21, 1941, which resulted
in the murder of Jews and destruction of property."
Although Trifa had no comment on the suit, his attorney, John J. Sibisan of Cleveland said, "There will
be a denial," but he declined giving details about a response to the charges.
In a related development, the INS for the first time has asked the Israel police's special branch for the
investigation of Nazi crimes to collect evidence against 70 naturalized American citizens who are under investiga-
, tion in the U.S. for having committed war crimes in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II.
Requests for information have been placed in Israeli newspapers acrid Supt. Gershon Langsfeld, head of the
special branch, said evidence has already been collected on 10 of the 70. The INS probe began after complaints
by Holocaust survivors living in the U.S. and several Congressmen that the suspected war criminals lied about
their past in applying for U.S. citizenship.
(Continued on Page 6)
Argentinian Holocaust Survivors
Urge Action Against Kutschmann
BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — The Association of Jewish Survi-
vors of Nazi Persecution has urged Interior Minister Alberto Ro-
camora to take action against the Alleged Nazi war criminal,
Walter Kutschmann who has been living in Artentina since 1947
under the alias of Pedro Richardo Olmos.
Kutschmann was arrested last week and detained by federal
police for six hours for questioning. He could face denaturaliza-
tion and possible deportation if it is determined that he obtained
Argentine citizenship under
a false name.
1
Nazi - hunter Simon
Wiesenthal said in Vienna
monday that he was con-
tacting the public prosecu-
tor in West Germany to ini-
tiate extradition action
against Kutschmann. Ac-
cording to Wiesenthal, who
heads the Jewish Documen-
tation Center in Vienna,
Kutschmann was responsi-
ble for the execution of 20
Polish-Jewish university
(Continued on Page 5)
SIMON WIESENTHAL