Friday, March 30, 1919 29
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Tortuous Road to Israel for Soviet Conductor
By MOSHE RON
The Jewish News Special
Israel Correspondent ._
TEL AVIV — Conductor
Kiryl Kondrashin, who
asked several months ago
for asylum in Holland, is
still not free. He left his
country, the Soviet Union,
under unusual circum-
stances. After a successful
concert in Amsterdam, he
returned to his hotel, not
revealing his plans to any-
one. Next day, a rehersal
was due with the Kon-
zertgebau Orchestra of
Amsterdam for a new pro-
gram. It was a great sur-
prise when t'he conductor
did not appear.
The members of the or-
chestra were offended.
What they did not know was
that Kondrashin has looked
for some time for a way to
free himself from a regime
which did not allow him to
live freely and develop as an
artist.
Instead of going to the
concert building, he went to
the Central Police Station
and asked, for asylum.
The policemen did not
believe him at first. They
informed the Minister of
Interior. Kondrashin was
an internationally-
known personality. Hol-
land did not wish to get
into a conflict with the
Soviet Union. But the
tradition of freedom won.
The authorities decided
to grant Kondrashin
asylum.
The police were afraid
that Soviet secret _agents
would exert pressure on
Kondrashin to change his
decision. They were con-
vinced. that the Soviet gov-
ernment would not take
such a heavy blow to its
prestige without an effec-
tive answer. Kondrashin
"went underground." He got
a secret apartment, which
was known only to the
commander of the police
and the director of the Kon-
zertgebau Orchestra. But
the fact of his seeking
asylum in Holland was pub-
lished all over thew _ orld.
When the Israeli
Philharmonic Orchestra
heard that Kondrashin
would conduct concerts in
Holland it sent him an offi-
cial invitation to come to Is-
rael to conduct. Kondrashin
sent a polite answer without
any obligation. The Israeli
Orchestra decided tosend its
geneial secretary, Abe Co-
hen, to Amsterdam to talk
to Kondrashin.
When Cohen tried to con-
tact Kondrashin by phone, a
voice interrupted the call,
warning Cohen: "Do not
seek any contact and ad-
Kondrashin
minutes,
signed a contract to conduct
the Israel Philharmonic Or-
chestra in June.
He told Cohen' that there
have been several "purges"
in the Soviet orchestras.
Jewish musicians, espe-
cially violinists have lost
their jobs.
When Cohen asked Kon-
drashin how he had recog-
nised him immediately,
when he entered the guest
house, K'ondrashin an-
swered: "By the Jewish
eyes. We all have the same
eyes."
dress. Do not phone any
more. Leave your phone
number and somebody will
contact you."
Abe Cohen stayed in his
hotel room and waited for a
return call.
The phone rang. On the
other end of the line was
Kondrashin himself, who
gave Abe Cohen detailed
instructions on how to
meet him.
When Cohen arrived in
the guest house, according
to the instructions, he was
welcomed by Kondrashin.
After a talk which lasted 30
•
coincidental- that the latest
price hikes were mandated
at the same time that an
agreement was reached on a
peace treaty with Egypt. He
noted that the government's
decision to reduce subsidies
was taken Feb. 8 at which
time no one could predict
when a peace treaty might
be signed.
PLO Cementing
Soviet-Iran Tie?
CAIRO (ZINS) — A Be-
irut magazine with close
ties to Yasir Arafat says the
PLO has helped improve the
atmosphere between the
Iranian religious leader,
Ayatollah Khomeini, and
the Soviet Union.
AccOrding to al-Kifa al
Arabi, the Russians have
been concerned about the
establishment of an anti-
Soviet Islamic republic in
Iran, but Arafat conveyed to
Moscow the ayatollah's as-
surances that the new re-
gime will establish stronger
commercial and economic
links with Moscow.
The intermediary was
Aleksander Soldatov, the
Soviet ambassador to Leba-
non, the magazine reported.
Chagall Exhibit
CHICAGO — The Sper-
tus Museum of Judaica will
have a major exhibition of
works by Marc Chagall,
gathered from local collec-
tions, from April 22 - July'l.
More than 60 pieces will be
displayed, . many of them
never before seen publicly.
Chicago's last Chagall
exhibition was held shortly
after World War II.
NEW YORK (ZINS) —
The Joint Distribution
Committee is spending $1
million each month to sup-
port Soviet Jews in Rome
who have decided not to go
to Israel.
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I. Toubin Education Fund
Endowment Dinner in May
NEW YORK -- The
American Association for
Jewish Education has inau-
gurated a campaign to es-
tablish a $750,000 endow-
ment fund in honor of its
executive vice president
emeritus Isaac Toubin that
will support major' pro-
'
and heritage, and a national
testing bureau to offer
Jewish schools Validated
testing materials in such
areas as Hebrew language,
Jewish history, Bible and
Israel.
Meeting Planned
NEW YORK — -Meta S.
Berger of Chicago will serve
as chairman of the planning
committee for the 73rd an-
nual meeting of the Ameri-
can Jewish Committee, to
be held May 9-13 at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in
New York.
Israelis Protest High Prices
as One Million Stage Strike
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Al-
most one million workers
staged a four-hour general
strike March 19 to protest
against soaring prices for
basic food products and
commodities. Even those
workers in defense and es-
sential services who were
exempted from the strike,
like airline employes, joined
in the protest.
The strike, termed a huge
success by HiStadrut but
denounced by the govern-
ment as a political act de-
signed to embarrass the
government, included bank
employes, dock workers and
government and municipal
employes. Even teachers
went on strike, forcing
many working mothers who
were not supposed to strike
to return home to get their
children from schools.
The strike halted the op-
erations of railroads and
factories, and hospitals and
medical services operated'
on an emergency-only basis.
Strikers called for the res-
ignation of Finance Minis-
ter Simha Ehrlich.
The Histadrut leader-
ship decided on the ac-
tion as a result of a deci-
sion by the Ministerial
Economic Committee
over the weekend to
further reduce price
support subsidies for
basic food items which
had been as high as
80-100 percent. •
Histadrut Secretary Gen-
eral Yeruham Meshel ac-
cused Ehrlich of taking ad-
vantage of the peace process
to impose new financial
burdens on the populace.
Ehrlich rejected the
charge. He said it was only
Noshrim Budget
ISAAC TOUBIN
grams for Jewish education
in the U.S.
The Isaac Toubin Jewish
Education Endowment will
be initiated at a national
dinner of tribute celebrat-
ing the AAJE's 40th an-
niversary on May 20 in New
York.
The programs include a
national educational re-
source center as a central
repository of systematically
arranged materials in all
areas of Jewish education, a
national institute on Jewish
family life to provide par-
ents with a variety of oppor-
tunities to imbue their chil-
dren with a sustained feel-
ing toward their religion
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products for this Passover season
think Swee-Touch-Nee.
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JERUSALEM (ZINS) —
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considered a transit airline
passenger when he arrives
in Israel. Transit
passengers may spend up to
24 hours in Israel.
Previously, citizens of
Arab League nations were
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Students Refuse
to Meet Israeli
OKLAHOMA CITY
Some 100. Iranian Jewish
students attending Ok-
lahoma universities have
refused to meet with Israel's
vice consul stationed in
Houston.
The consul, Iranian-born
Tzion Evrony, wanted to aid
the students following the
political upheaval in Iran.
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