16 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, July 10, 1981 Authorities, Fanatics Persecute Syrian Jews By MOSHE RON The Jewish News Special Israel Correspondent • Specializing in the creation of fine furniture in laminates, acrylics, glass, mirror & marble. The simplest Parsons Table or Cube to the most elaborate wall units .. . all planned with quality materials, innovative styling & fine craftsmanship EVERYTHING CUSTOM DESIGNED OR BUILT TO YOUR SPECIFICATIONS PProttedet agyittuf, 354-4126 BY TEL AVIV — A few days ago we met some American tourists who had just visited Syria. They described the terrible situation of 5,000 Syrian Jews. the Syrian authorities persecute them, but do not allow them to leave the country. The Sy- rian Jews are living in a state of a double fright: They have to suffer from the authorities and from the fanatical Moslem Brother- hood. The Jews try .o flee the country, but most are caught on the border and sentenced to years of prison. The Syrian Border Police has killed and wounded some Jews who have tried to escape. A few years ago the bor- der police caught four young Jewish girls when they tried to cross the border. They were murdered. The brutal murders were de- nounced by several interna- tional institutions. During the burial of the four girls, Syrian Jews demonstrated. The demonstration was brutally broken up by the Syrian police. The tourists told us that the Syrian Jews are liv- ing as if they were in prison. Their possessions are confiscated when they die. Jews are ar- rested without reason and kept for months in prison. Many arrested Jews simply vanish. One tourist told us that a short time ago the Syrian Secret Service searched Jewish apartments for propaganda material of the Moslem Brotherhood oppo- sition. One Syrian officer ordered a Jewish woman to take off her clothes for a search and then raped the woman in the presence of her husband. Raping of Jewish girls happens often. 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FULLY INSULATED WEST BLOOMFIELD OAK PARK 33084 NORTHWESTERN bet. Orchard Lake 13745 W. 9 Mile Road and 14 Mile Road 543-8853 855-5544 The Syrian Jews are not involved in any political ac- tivity. They are not allowed in the army or in govern- ment jobs. Their identity cards identify them as Jews. They are not allowed to leave the country. After the murder of the four Jewish girls, some in- ternational organizations appealed to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to exert his influence with Sy- rian President Hafez Assad to allow Jewish girls to leave Syria to enable them to marry Jewish husbands. This appeal did not There are few eligible Jewish men in Syria and Jewish girls are being pressed to convert to the Moslem faith. A Jewishwoman who tried to cross the border with her four children was shot at by the Syrian border guards and seri- ously wounded. She was transferred to a hospital and latter allowed to go abroad, because the Sy- rian doctors could not hear her. She had to pay to the Syrian authorities $10,000 as a pledge that she would return. Her husband and four chil- dren were not allowed to accompany her. A few months ago a group of Jews who tried to cross the border were caught. Though they were set free by the court the Syrian authorities detained seven of them, including a 14-year old boy, in order to deter Jews from trying to cross the border. There are Jews who have been sentenced to five years of prison for such an attempt. Some Syrian Jews who have received exit permits for commercial travel had to pay $6,000. If they do not return on time the money is confiscated. If they do not return at all, their pos- 2 blks. W. of Coolidge NEW YORK (JTA) — The results of the Foreign Policy Association's "Great Decision'81" public opinion poll indicated that a major- ity of Americans clearly favor the United States to continue workihg closely with Egypt and Israel to achieve success in the negotiations for authonomy on the West Bank and Gaza strip. The FPA reported that 64 percent of 8,848 respon- dents endorsed the Camp David process, 14 percent favored by-passing the Camp David agreements in favor of a new initiative and 18 percent would prefer to let Israel and Arabs work out matters among them- selves. Four percent of the respondents held other views which were not de- tailed in the FPA report. According to the FPA, this year's division of opin- ion on the Arab-Israeli con- flict was similar to the re- sponse elicited by its poll a year ago. But the proportion urging the U.S. to work closely with Egypt and Is- rael increased. sessions are confiscated. Jews who wish to visit other cities in Syria have to in- form the authorities in ad- vance. Jewish homes are often visited by security people to check if anyone is missing. The 4000 Jews in Damas- cus are living in great fear. There are 750 Jews in Haleb and 200 Jews in Kamishli. Not every place has a rabbi, shokhet or mohel. In Damascus there are 18 synagogues, in Aleppo tjree. There are Jewish schools, but the teaching is under the supervision of the secret police. In the University of Damascus there are few Jewish students. Damascus has . 20 Jewish doctors, 20 pharmacists, five dentists and two lawyers. The Jews are mostly .busy with commerce but their economic situation is difficult. They are not allowed to have private cars and to sell their possessions to other non-Jews. Reform Request End to Rabbinate JERUSALEM (JNI) — The 92nd convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) has demanded "the dises- tablishment of the rabbi- nate in Israel" for the mutual recognition and rights of Reform and Con- servative rabbis. Adopted by the 500 Re- form rabbis at a conference in Jerusalem June 25, the resolution was inspired by last year's Chief Rabbinate Law which transferred the capacity to authorize rabbis empowered to officiate at marriages from local reli- gious councils to the Chief Rabbinate. Court Permits Non-Government TV Broadcasts TEL AVIV (JNI) — Last month's Supreme Court in- junction forbidding the Communications Ministry to jam "pirate TV" broad- casts allowed Tel Aviv resi- dents to watch the broad- cast of "Patton" by the ship Odelia. Restriction of the minis- try's jamming policy also allowed the screening of "Fiddler on the Roof," "The Sound of Music," and "The Boston Strangler." Antenna companies were swamped by calls from Tel Aviv and Dan residents who wanted to install equipment capa- ble of receiving the broad- casts alongside Israel's government-controlled sta- tion. French Attitude Called Routine JERUSALEM (JTA) — Bernard Henry Levy, re- garded as one of the most prominent young writers and philosophers in France, told a press conference in Jerusalem that anti- Semitism is not a new phe- nomenon in his country but "an integral part of French *culture."