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. or DRIV SEND YOUR CAR TO ANY STATE !.C.C. License MC125985 DRIVEAWAY SERVICE 4713 Horger at Michigan Ave. P.O. BOX 1264 Dearborn, Mich. 48126 Tel. 584-5000 THIS PASSOVER SWEE-TOUCH-NEE TEA FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 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. 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