Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1975-10-02

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LIBRARY','OHIO   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY
1 982  VEUMM  AVE .      ,;
COLS,   0,     40<SU       -    . .-,   •
VOL. 53 NO. 41
OCTOBER 2,1975 -TISHREI27
1
in
I
Hlti-Lateral Meeting
Hunger Strike For Soviet Prisoners
NEW YORK— Sylvia Zalmanson, a former prisoner
herself, begins a hunger strike on behalf of her
husband Edward Kuznetsov and other prisoners in
Soviet labor camps at the Isaiah Wall opposite United
Nations headquarters in New York.
Just before beginning her hunger strike, Ms.
Zalmanson described the harsh conditions in the labor
camps at a Simchat Torah "Festival of Freedom,"
sponsored by the Greater New .York Conference on
Soviet Jewry. "A total lack of medical treatment,
severe cold, a near starvation diet and constant
exposure to other prisoners, mostly former Nazis,
degenerates and informers," was heri description -of
" the Mvay "Soviet Jewish prisoners are forjeed toJiye.in,„
labor camps in the U.S.S.R.
Ms. Zalmanson was released from prion in mid-1973
after widespread protests in the West. She, her
husband, and two brothers were convicted of
attempting to hijack a plane in an aborted effort to
escape from the Soviet Union.
RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE PHOTO
UNITED     NATIONS
(WNS) - Secretary of State
Henry A. Kissinger has
declared that  the  United
States will begin discussions
on  the reopening  of   the
Geneva conference on the
Mideast as well as "explore
possibilities for perhaps a
more informal multi-lateral
meeting to assess conditions
and to discuss the future."
His remarks were made to
the United Nations General
Assembly which opened its
30th annual policy debate.
Kissinger's suggestion for a
multi-lateral meeting  was
seen    by    observers    in
Washington as a means of
bringing  the  Palestinians,
perhaps even the Palestine
Liberation   Organization,
into the talks. In his UN
address, Kissinger stressed
-that the Israel-Egyptian
agreement  in  the   Sinai
created an opportunity for
further    progress    "but
opportunities must be seized
or they will disappear." He
said the U.S. is "prepared to
, make a. .serious, effort
countries have held parallel
views that the situation in
the Middle East poses grave
dangers and that partial
steps must be part of and
just and durable peace in the
Mideast requires meeting
the concerns and interests of
all countries in the area,
including their territorial
contribute   to    progress \ integrity, their right to live
toward a comprehensive / in peace and security and the
settlement." He said
discussions have begun with
the Soviet Union toward that
end. Kissinger said the role
of the IJN is essential in the
Mideast noting that UN
troops have become
indispensable to the
disengagementv agreements
in the Sinai and the Golan
Heights. He stressed that/a
legitimate interest of the
Palestinians.
Kissinger's speech drew a
favorable reaction from
Israeli Ambassador Chaim
Herzog. He told a gathering
of Jewish leaders that he
was pleased with the "strong
measure of American
leadership" enunciated in
the address and hopes the
American representatives at
the UN would maintain this
"new look."
" Soviet Foreign-Minister
Andrei A. Gromyko, in his
Assembly address was
.moderate in tone and he
criticized but did not attack
either the U.S. or Israel.
Gromyko said the Soviet
Union wants the Geneva
conference reconvened with
the participation of all
parties concerned, including
the PLO. He declared that
"to establish a just and
lasting peace in the Middle
, (CONTINUED ON PAGE 12)
encourage negotiations
between Syria and Israel."
He also noted that despite
"important differences"
between the U.S. and the
Soviet   Union   "our   two
WASHINGTON (JTA) -
The second Egyptian-Israeli
Sinai accord and U.S.
commitments associated
with it occupied the attention
of the Senate Foreign
Relations and the House
Armed Services Committee
Sept. 24. In addition, a
military contract with Saudi
to-';A2rabia of nearly $1.5 billion
was before the Senate panel.
The Egyptian Ambassador,
Ashraf Ghorbal, testified at
the House meeting for about
90 minutes behind closed
doors. The Congressmen
reportedly were seek¬
ing more information
on Egyptian - American
understandings stemming
from the accord,
particularly U.S. military
assistance to Cairo
reportedly favored by the
Administration, once the
Israeli withdrawal is
. completed. Ghorbal's
appearance was highly
unusual. Congressional
observers said they could not
remember a previous
occasion when a foreign
ambassador    'appeared
Imprisonment Is The Price For Immigration
By David Friedman
NEW   YORK   (JTA)   -
"Imprisonment is the price
for immigration to Israel."
This is  the  way  Shimon
Grilius, a 30-year-old Vilna-
born electronics engineer, on
Sept. 23 summed up his five
years of hard labor in Soviet
prisons.  Grilius,  the  first'
Orthodox Jewish "Prisoner
of Conscience" to emigrate
to Israel, received especially
harsh treatment when he
tried to observe kashrut, the
Shabbat and other religious
laws in prison. He is now in •
New York to spend a month .
as   the   first   "Hero-in-
Residence"     under     a
program sponsored by the
sponsored by the GNYCSJ.
Nearly 1000 people braved
the rainy weather to attend
the demonstration. Many of
them marched to the Isaiah
Wall opposite the United
Nations where Zalmanson
began a hunger strike in
support of her husband,
Eduard Kuznetsov and the
other "Prisoners of
Conscience." Individuals
and organizations were
expected to join her as she
appears before the Isaiah
Wall from 8 a.m. to 8 p.ni.
daily.' Kuznetsov, who was
sentenced in Dec.. 1970 in the
first Leningrad trial, is still
serving a 15-year sentence.
. Grilius stressed that the
cause of prisoners and the
Greater      New      York Jewish     activists     and
Conference on. Soviet Jewry   emigration are all part of the
and the.Board of Jewish2
Education. During, the
month he will speak.. at
Jewish schools in the
daytime arid before adult
groups in 2 the, evening.
Speaking in •Hebrew;-GriiiuS
was interviewed before he
arid another .. former
"Prisoner of, Conscience,"
Sylvia Zalmanson,
participated in a.Siriiqhat
Torah ' 2. "Festival of
Freedom" in front of the
New York Public Library
- same -issue. He said Jews
should seek the freedom not
only of the 'TOCs" but of all
Jews in the Soviet Union. He
"said, the   fact < that   he,
. Zalmanson and others are in
Israel and are able to come
-to the .United States to seek
help ;f or other Jews is "a
• miracle of God but God also
expects us to help in his
miracles." He.said he'has
learned that-Jews'are hot
' people of separate nations
. but are all one, and that
when one Jew suffers all
Jews  must  come  to  his
defense. The young engineer
was arrested on July 21,1969
in Raizan in central Russia
along with  several  other
young Jews at the University
of Raizan,, an engineering
school, because they had
been seeking to emigrate
since 1966. Grilius noted that
he and others had gone to,
Raizan because quotas for
Jews made it impossible to
go to universities near their
homes; The charge was anti-
Soviet activities.: Grilius said
the only evidence presented
by the authorities was that
he had a record called "The
Diary of the Six-Day War."
He said another piece of
evidence was an article
written by Yuri Vudka, the
only one of the students who
was     Orthodox     before
imprisonment, arguing that
Jews had a right to emigrate
to Israel on the basis of a
return to their  national
homeland. This was written
• in 1966, a year before the
major drive for aliya, which
was spurred by the Six-Day
War, began. Grilius, who
said he was raised as a
traditional not a religious
Jew, noted that both  his
grandfather and father had
been imprisoned under
Stalin for wanting to remain
Jews. His grandfather was
subsequently killed by the
Nazis in Lithuania."
Grilius spent two years in
the Putma Labor camp and
three years in Perm, all of
them under strict regime.
He suffered the same harsh
treatment that other Jewish
prisoners did, including the
indignity of sharing quarters
with former Nazis. But for
the religious prisoners it was
even harsher, he said. He
related that they tried to
.(CONTINUED ON PAGE IS) \
nate And House
before a committee' of
Congress. The Committee
heard Israel's views last
week from its Defense
Minister, Shimon Peres, but
at an informal breakfast
meeting. In the, Senate
committee, Sens. Clifford
Case (R. NJ) and Jacob K.
Javits (R. NY) proposed
that Congress vote on secret
U.S. undertakings to Egypt
and Israel as well as on the
stationing of 200 American
technicians in Sinai. It is
■ designed, sources at the
Capitol said, to help speed
the Sinai accord to a Senate
vote by incorporating in a
resolution ' of approval
information summarizing all
the U.S. undertakings. At
present the Administration
does not seek a vote on
anything except the
technicians.
Meanwhile, President
Ford warned Congressional
leaders Sept. 25 that the
Sinai    pact    could    be
' (CONTINUED ON PAGE 12)
"This year, as we
celebrate the 50th
Anniversary of the
Columbus j Jewish
Federation, our Annual
Meeting is designed to
reflect on the condition of the
,       Edward Schlezinger
American Jewish
community in 1976, and to
relate that present state to
the role of Jews in the United
States, and particularly in
Columbus, during the past 50
years and longer," said
Edward    Schlezinger,
Chairman  of  the   Annual
Meeting Committee of the
Col'.mbus     Jewish
Federation,    in    urging
community  attendance  at
the Federation's Annual
Meeting on Sunday Evening,
,Oct. 5. "Theentire focus of
our meeting this year," said
■ Mr. Schlezinger, "is on
history.     Our     keynote
-speaker, a distinguished
former resident of our own
community, Dr. Eugene B.
Borowitz, will speak on the
American Jew: A Historical
.Perspective.   Our  meeting
will feature an exhibit on the
•life of the Columbus Jewish
community, and all of the
■features of our meeting are
designed to relate to our
history."
.   The meeting will include
special recognition of the
families of the members of
the founding - board of
directors of the Columbus
' Jewish Federation (then
called United Jewish Fund)
and their foresight in
building a structure which
"lasted for a half century.
. Recognition will be paid to
the past presidents of the
■ United Jewish Fund, the
United Jewish Fund and
• Council, the Jewish
Community Council and the
' Columbus Federation, aU of
. whom have played a major
role in bringing the
.organized    Jewish
community of Columbus to
• where it is today.
"It     is     particularly
' appropriate," said Sidney I.
Blatt,   President  of  the
Columbus     Jewish.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE II)
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