THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, March 11, 1983 21
Jewish Units Back Reagan Theat on Romania's MFN Trade
June 30, 1983, if the educa-
NEW YORK (JTA) — A
spokesman for 37 national
Jewish organizations has
hailed the Reagan Adminis-
tration for its warning to
Romania that it will sus-
pend the most-favored-
nation (MFN) trade status
unless it ends a tax on its
citizens who want to emi-
grate.
Yehuda Hellman, execu-
tive vice chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of
Major American Jewish
Organizations, declared
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that the American Jewish
community "has consis-
tently opposed any imposi-
tion of an education tax as a
condition for emigration
from any land and regrets
the Romanian govern-
ment's action in this regard.
We therefore fully under-
stand and support the ac-
tion of our government to
defend the principle of free
emigration."
Hellman's statement fol-
lowed an announcement by
President Reagan in San
Francisco last Friday dec-
laring "my intention to
terminate Romanid's most-
favored nation tariff status
and other benefits effective
We sit 'round the Seder table each year. and celebrate The
Exodus through traditions passed down to us over thousands
of years. These traditions have become so much a part of our
heritage they are inscribed in the Haggadah for all the world
to see: the matzoh. the "MaNishianah: the Aphikoman. the
recitation of the plagues, the chant of "Dayenu:' and on and
on through the night. closing with "Chad Gadya:'
At each Seder. however, there are other kinds of traditions
... traditions which are just as strong. just as cherished. They
are our personal family traditions. Unwritten and unsung.
they are as much a part of our Seders as the hard-boiled eggs
and bitter herbs. And among these. one of the most popular
traditions is the wine that is used throughout the Seder eve-
ning. That is Manischewitz. of course. In millions of homes. it
just wouldn't be Passover-without a bottle of Manischewitz
Kosher Wine. It is a wine that spans the generations and.
somehow, symbolizes the continuity of the family Seder.
Faces may change. we grow
older, sometimes there is a new
youngster to ask the "MaNish-
tanah"... but always there is the
Ma n ischewitz.
It holds a traditional and hon-
ored place at our Seder table.
Produced and bottled under
strict. Rabbinical supervision by
Rabbi Dr. Joseph I. Singer &
Rabbi Solomon B. Shapiro
Manischewitz Wine Co.
New York. NY 11232
Kashruth Certificate
available upon request.
tion repayment decree re-
mains in force on that date."
Reagan said the
Romanian decree, which
was published last No-
vember, conflicted with a
1974 U.S. trade law in-
tended to remove bar-
riers to freedom of emig-
ration. The law was the
Jackson/Vanik amend-
ment to the Foreign
Trade Act which links
trade with the Com-
munist bloc countries to
their emigration policies.
After the Romanian gov-
ernment published its de-
cree, the Reagan Adminis-
tration warned repeatedly
that the education tax im-
posed on citizens who want
to emigrate could affect
Romania's MFN status.
Last Wednesday, two
days before Reagan made
his announcement,
Romania's Deputy Foreign
Minister Gheorghe Dolgu
met with State Department
officials to discuss the issue.
In January, Lawrence Eag-
leburger, Undersecretary of
State for Political Affairs,
went to Bucharest to warn
the Romanian government
that they were in jeopardy
of losing the MFN status.
According to the Roma-
nian decree, all would-be
emigrants under retire-
ment age would have to
repay in hard currency the
costs of education at about
$3,600 for a person of high
school- education and in-
creasing by about $4,000 for
each year of college educa-
tion.
This move was intended
to stop the Romanian "brain
drain" abroad.
Shortly after Romania
enacted its decree, Chief
Rabbi Moses Rosen said
it did not apply to Jews
seeking to go to Israel
beacuse Romania distin-
guished between emigra-
tion to another country
and aliya to Israel. How-
ever, last month, Rosen
said in Tel Aviv that the
Romanian law would
now also be applied to
Jews seeking to make
aliya.
The suspension of MFN
would cost Romania some
$200 million in sales to the
United States because of
sharply increased tariffs.
Romania's exports to the
U.S. last year totaled $400
million, while U.S. exports
to that country were valued
at $225 million in 1982. In
1981, the United States im-
ported $560 million in
Romanian goods, and sold
Romania $503 million in
products.
In commenting on
Reagan's announcement,
While House deputy press
secretary Larry Speakes
said termination of MFN
would mean that Romania's
exports to the U.S. would be
reduced by half during the
first year.
He added that the Reagan
Administration still wanted
good and constructive rela-
tions with Romania. "We
are prepared to recommend
we restore the (MFN) status
to Romania if the Romanian
government stops imple-
menting this decree and
improves its emigration
procedures," Speakes said.
71
off of MFN status for
Romania will not be neces-
sary,and that emigration
will be able to proceed with-
out encumbi-ance."
-
Hellman, in his state-
ment, also expressed the
hope "that circumstances
will so alter between now
and June 30 that the cutting
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