THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, November 14, 1980 29
Jewish Activists Will Begin Drive for Soviet Jews
MADRID (JTA) — Soviet Thursday in front of the con-
Jewish activists and Jewish ference hall. A spokesman
circles working in conjunc- for the women said that
tion with the presidium of they will keep on their si-
the Brussels Conference lent vigil outside the hall, in
plan to launch an intensive spite of the cold and rain,
campaign on behalf of until they feel that their
Soviet Jewry this week.
problem is likely to be
They have held back for examined by the confer-
several weeks while the ence.
United States delegation
Spanish policemen are
and other western represen- keeping the area clear of all
tatives tried to save the demonstrators and Jewish
European Conference for activists have till now been
Security and Cooperation.
unable to even enter the
Wednesday morning, as it meeting hall building to
became clear that the Soviet meet delegates or present
delegation would not accept their cases. Even newsmen
any agenda ensuring a are barely admitted into the
thorough discussion of the building with the Spanish
human rights violations de- authorities apparently try-
spite the Helsinki agree- ing to give the conference as
ment, the Jewish circles de- low a profile as possible.
cided to launch their cam-
Several organizations
paign.
not connected with the
Western delegations Brussels Conference on
tried until shortly before Soviet Jewry, such as the
midnight Tuesday, to "Union of Councils for
reach a compromise Soviet Jewry" are also
agreement on a mutually active in the Spanish cap-
acceptable agenda which ital.
would provide for suffi-
The Socialist Interna-
cient time to enable a tional, which is also meet-
thorough discussion of ing in Madrid, not con-
Soviet violations.
nected with the security and
The Conference for Euro- cooperation conference, is
pean Security and Coopera- also expected to examine
tion is attended by delega- the situation of Soviet
tions from 33 European Jewry at the request of the
countries plus the United Israeli delegation led by
States and Canada. It was Labor Party Chairman
convened to study the appli- Shimon Peres.
cations and implications of
Meanwhile, Vladimir
the agreement signed in Tsukerman, a 35-year-old
Helsinki.
electronics engineer whose
For the last six weeks, wife and son live in Israel,
while the delegates held who was arrested in
preparatory talks, the Kishinev Oct. 29 after sign-
Soviet delegation and ing an appeal protesting the
representatives of other continued refusal of the
East European countries Soviet authorities to allow
tried to block any serious him and other Kishinev
discussion of these issues.
Jews to join their families in
The Jewish circles now Israel, was sentenced last
plan several spectacular ac- week to 15 days in prison,
tions which will help to the National Conference on
focus world public opinion Soviet Jewry (NCSJ) re-
on the plight of Soviet ported. He was charged
Jewry. Next month, the with "hooliganism."
chief rabbis of most West
Tsukerman was one of six
European countries will emigration activists in
demonstrate outside the Kishinev who signed the
meeting hall and later call a appeal addressed to the par-
press conference to air the ticipants in the second re-
issue. The chief rabbis of view conference in Madrid
France, Britain, Italy, West on the Helsinki Accords.
Germany and Denmark are
The signatories an-
due to attend and more nounced that they will
might join them for the start a hunger strike on
unique event.
that date to dramatize
The titular heads of their plight and that of
Western Europe's two other Soviet Jews denied
largest Jewish Com- the right to emigrate. A
munities, France's similar appeal was
C.R.I.F. President Baron signed by 27 refusniks in
Main de Rothschild and Riga.
In addition to Tsuker-
Britain's president of the
Board of Deputies of man, the signatories were:
British Jews, Labor MP Grigory Leiderman, 35, an
Greville Janner, are also electronics engineer, whose
due to arrive in Madrid parents are in Israel; Alek-
sandr Lezerovich, 33, an
next month.
Parliamentarians from engineer, whose wife and
14 West European countries daughter are in Israel; and
are also due to arrive in the Alexsandr Khozin, 33, a
Spanish capital next month computer engineer, whose
and will request to be heard parents are in Israel.
by the conference's
The participants in the
presidium to officially raise hunger strike have been
the question of Soviet viola- active for a long time in
tions of Jewish rights in
Russia in spite of the Hel-
Books which teach and
sinki Agreement and con- teach and speak of whatever
crete Russian pledges.
is highest and best are
Three Russian Jewish equally sacred, whatever be
women, whose husbands the tongue in which they
and sons have been unable are written, or the nation to
to leave the Soviet Union, which they belong.
started a hunger strike
—Spinoza
Jewish culture and educa-
tional activities in
Kishinev. As a result, they
have been slandered re-
peatedly in the local news-
paper, "Sovietskaya Mol-
davia," and recently singled
out as "aides to American
imperialists." According to
the NCSJ, such attacks may
pave the way to subsequent
arrests and trials.
In a related development,
while more than 100,000
Russian Jewish "refusniks"
fasted for two days to
demonstrate their protest
against the decision by the
Soviet Union to severely
curtail emigration to Israel
and the West, the New York
Board of Rabbis sponsored a
two-day prayer vigil Wed-
nesday and Thursday.
In Jerusalem, Prime
Minister Menahem Begin
disapproved of the
Jewish Agency's call for
a confrontation with the
Council of Jewish Feder-
ations in the U.S. over the
latter's refusal to accept
the "Naples Plan" for
cutting the dropout rate
among Soviet Jews. As a
result, the Jewish
Agency will probably go
ahead and implement the
plan.
The Naples' plan is a
compromise agreed upon by
the Jewish Agency, HIAS
and the Joint Distribution
Committee. It callS- for
speedy transfer of Soviet
Jewish emigrants from
INVITATIONS?
attie Schwa
Vienna to Naples, rather
than to the present center of
HIAS operating in Rome.
In Naples, HIAS is to help
only those Soviet Jews with
close relatives in the West
reach destinations other
than Israel.
—Of Course!
(Hebrew Copy Available)
352-7387
ENTERTAINMENT?
Seymour Schwartz
—Of Course!
358-8525
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