Hadassah's both
Anniversary
Recalls Women's
Pioneering
Zionist Spirit
Story on Page 12
THE JEWISH NEWS
A Weekly Review
The Washington
Outrage as a
Challenge
to the Races and
to the
Public Media
f Jewish Events
Commentary, Page 2
VOL. LXXI, No. 3
17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833
One
People
Official Soviet Oppression
Condemned by Congress
"IrIN
One
Heart
This slogan marks the
clarion call to more than
25,000 potential Greater ,
Detroit participants in the
Allied Jewish Campaign to
respond generously to the
current great philanthropic
task in support of Israel
and in behalf of more than
60 local, national and over-
seas causes.
With "One People, One
Heart" as the motto, the
annual Campaign will open
formally next Wednesday
evening. This community's
tradition for generosity to
the United Jewish Appeal
and the many causes adds
forcefully to the appeal for
continuity in setting the
pace for American Jewry's
solidarity • with Israel and
affirmation of faith in high-
est goals for service to
Jewry through the
agencies supported by the
Allied Jewish Campaign
Detailed AJCampaign
Stories, Page 16
Editorial, Page 4
$10.00 Per Year; This Issue 30c
March 25, 1977
WASHINGTON (JTA) --The House adopted a resolution Tuesday by a vote of 400-2 condemning the Soviet Union for the
harassment of Jews and others seeking to emigrate. The two w ho voted against the measure were W. R. Poage (D-Texas) and
Gary Myers (R-Pa.). The resolution was similar to the one adopted by the Senate on March 2 by a vote of 91-0 which was
sponsored by Sen. Frank Church.
The House resolution, sponsored by Rep. Toby Moffett (D-Conn.), declared, "The obstruction and harassment of Soviet Jews
and other minorities trying to obtain emigration visas to reunite with their families profoundly offends the conscience of a free
people.
The resolution stressed the sustained interest of the American people in adherence of the Helsinki Agreement's provision on
human rights. It noted that government sanctioned ethnic and religious discrimination in the USSR violates international
agreements on human rights.
Last week, in Geneva, the Executive of the World Jewish Congress expressed "grave apprehension" over "the recent increase of
anti-Jewish occurrences and measures in the USSR" and urged Soviet authorities "to facilitate the exit of Jews who so wish and to
enable the Jews to develop their own culture and religious life in the USSR."
The statement on Soviet Jewry noted in particular a March 4 article in the government newspaper Izvestia "levelling the
accusation of CIA-linked espionage against several Jews prominent in the struggle for Jewish rights, including the right to
emigrate to Israel."
The statement also said that "other manifestations of this escalation of pressure on Soviet Jews have been the arrests of
prominent Jewish activists, the showing of blatantly anti-Semitic films on Soviet television, anti-Semitic articles in the press and the
suppression of an attempt by Jewish scholars to call a symposium for the discussion of Jewish cultural problems with a view to
reviving cultural activities."
The statement noted, "Meanwhile, the number of exit permits for Jews wishing to emigrate in order to reunite with their families
is not increasing. The Executive voices a most serious warning that these manifestations may create an atmosphere of widespread
anti-Jewish prejudice and urges the Soviet government to halt this campaign immediately in order to avert tragic consequences
for the Jews in the USSR." A similar statement was issued by the Presidium of the Brussels World Conference on Soviet Jewry.
The National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ) held an
emergency meeting in New York Sunday because of the situation.
Nationwide demonstrations are scheduled to take place during
National Solidarity Month, May 1 and June 12, which will culminate
with the NCSJ Leadership Assembly in Washington June 12. After
lengthy discussion the leaders recommended emergency action,
NEW YORK (JTA)—Chaim Herzog, Israel's ambassador to
including direct appeals to Soviet officials, increased contacts
the United Nations, Sunday night called the 15-point program
with Congressmen and the Administration as well as an expanded
adopted by the Palestine National Council in Cairo "a formula
educational effort on the plight of Soviet Jews across the U.S. and
for nothing less than the destruction of Israel in stages."
Canada.
PLO Formula for Israel
Is 'Destruction' Program
He stressed that "in pursuance of our historic role, we will
fight it with all the means at our disposal."
Herzog said that despite the
unequivocal statement by the
Palestine Liberation Organiza-
tion body, he expected leading
newspapers and even Jewish
and Israeli spokesmen to label
the Palestine National Council's
statement as moderate and sug-
gest "in fact, the PLO doesn't
mean what it say."
(See Related Stories, Page 14)
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Eugene Gold, chairman of the NCSJ,
said, "We fear that the Soviet authorities are deliberately attempting
to create an anti-Jewish climate among the general populace. This
fear now exists throughout USSR. The KGB has been given a freer
hand to harass, persecute, and even arrest activists. We must
accelerate our actions nationwide.
The release last week of Soviet Jewish Prisoner of Conscience
Dr. Mikhail Shtern"is just one hopejul sign of the Soviet system
responding to its critics," Gold noted. "We must strengthen our
efforts on behalf of thousands of Jews who wish to leave and those
who languish in prison and labor camps." The NCSJ reported that
Shtern has applied to emigrate to Israel with his wife.
CHAIM HERZOG
Hebrew U. Growing Plant for Leukemia Drug
JERUSALEM—Scientists at the Hebrew University's faculty of agriculture in Rehovot are experimenting with a
jungle plant for the production of pharmaceutical drugs which are known to benefit patients suffering from leukemia
and high blood pressure.
Heading the research team is Prof. Amos Dovrat, of the department of field and vegetable crops.
The jungle plant, Prof. Dovrat explained, originates in tropical Africa, grows 80 centimeters tall and is a bushy
perennial with 40-50 centimeter deep roots. It belongs to the Oleander family and is called Madagascar Periwinkle
or Vinca (or Catharanthus) rosea. It is often used as an ornamental garden plant.
"This plant appears to offer considerable promise in modern medicine," Prof. Dovrat says. "I would not be
surprised if it is the species which contains the largest amount of alkaloids: colorless, complex and bitter organic
bases, which have an effect on man and animals. In the foliage of the plant more than 80 different alkaloids have
been identified in the past and some of them, after extraction, are used as drugs for treatment of leukemia."
"More important, however, at this stage of the research, is that the roots of this plant contain an alkaloid named
raubasine which is used for patients suffering from high blood pressure."
Prof. Dovrat pointed out that the research now concentrates on finding out which agrotechnical methods could
be advanced in order to obtain high yields of raubasine. The Israeli study is centered around developing methods
which enhance root growth and alkaloid content and in this process the scientists will also search for new types with
desirable characteristics by selection and breeding.
(Continued on Page 8)
Israel Position Recognized
by French Foreign Minister
PARIS (JTA—French Foreign Minister Louis de
Guiringaud said, "Israel's right to existence is as impor-
tant to us as the Palestinian right to a homeland."
The foreign minister, who is due to pay a two-day visit
to Israel next week, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in
an exclusive interview on Tuesday that in his view "cir-
cumstances in 1977 are more favorable to an Arab-Israeli
settlement than ever in the past."
De Guiringaud, who is due to meet in Israel with
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Defense Minister Shimon
Peres and Foreign Minister Yigal Allon, also said, "Certain
zones could be demilitarized and United Nations observ-
ers could be stationed there as is done in the Sinai and on
the Golan. Special surveillance electronic equiprhent
could be added as has been done in the Sinai."
*:.