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in brief NEW YORK (JTA) — Close to 2400 Soviet Jewish transmigrants in Rome waiting for arrangements to be completed to proceed to the United States and other Western countries, celebrated their first Passover holiday openly and in freedom it was reported by Jack D. Weiler, chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee. About 700 of the migrants attended seders organized by the JDC and the ORT. * . * * COPENHAGEN — A secret conference of Palestinian organizations was held recently in the small town of Gilelie, north of Copenhagen. Seventy delegates from Britain, West Germany, Holland and Belgium and other countries attended the conference, whose secret was kept even from the Danish people. A leader of the Danish Community for Palestine, Eskild Hoiland Olsen, reported the conference, saying that one of the items on the agenda was the open ing of a Palestine Liberation Organization information office in Copenhagen. * * * JERUSALEM — The Knesset may interrupt its spring recess for a special session to discuss the situation of the Kurds in Iraq. Two MKs of the National Religious Party — Zevulun Hammer and Dr. Yehuda Ben Mcir, have been urging their faction and others in Parliament to convene a special recess session to voice a unified Israeli protest against “the genocide of the Kurdish people.” Hammer and Ben Meir declare that when the world keeps silent on the persecution by Iraq of its Kur dish minority, it is important that Israel speak out. “The world should know about the fate of minorities in Arab countries,” the NRP men said. NEW YORK — Itta Nashpitz and Batya Tsitlionok, the mothers of Mark Nashpitz and Boris Tsitlionok, began a three-day hunger strike Sunday in front of the Isaiah Wall opposite the United Nations headquarters to protest against the five-year exile sentence imposed March 31 on their sons by a Moscow district court. The two mothers were join ed in their strike by August Stern, the son of Dr. Mikhail Stern. The three are conducting their hunger strike also in a dramatic plea for support of oppressed Jews. Americans Would Oppose Mideas4 Intervention: Long WASHINGTON,^ JTA) — Sen. Russell Long (D.La.) said April 7 that the American people would not support U S. military intervention in the Middle East even if Israel’s security was threatened because they were tired of this country trying to be the world's policeman. They would support intervention only if America’s security was directly threatened, the Senator told reporters here. Long, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is a member of the Southern conservative wing of the Democratic Party that has always supported a strong U.S. military presence overseas. Asked about a situation in the Middle East that threatened Israel, he suggested that there would be more public support to move Israel to the U.S. in that event than to send U.S. forces to the Middle East. mmmmm ti** * mum. A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry. Established 1925 VOL. L One Section, 12 Pages Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, April II, 1975 NO. 15 Arab Boycott Poses Serious Anti-Trust Questions: Levi WASHINGTON, (JTA) — U.S. Attorney General Edward H. Levi sees “serious anti-trust questions” in relation to aspects of the Arab boycott but feels his authority “may be limited” in the area of religious discrimination. The Department of Justice, Levi said in a letter to Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman (D.NY) that she made public April 2, currently has reports of the boycott’s “economic activities" under investigation. Ms. Holtzman, Rep. Sidney Yates (D ill) and 136 other members of Congress asked the Justice Department to determine whether federal anti-trust and civil rights laws had been violated by Arab- inspired discrimination against Jews. Among the reported violations is the practice of some American firms to agree with Arab demands not to do business with companies identified as trading with Israel. “In my view an agreement among separate firms doing business in the United States not to deal with a third firm would raise serious anti-trust questions," Levi wrote. “In the area of religious dis crimination, however, the authority of the Attorney General to combat such discrimination through en forcement of federal law may be limited." Levi referred to the testimony of Antonin Scalia, Assistant At torney General, on March 13 before a House subcommittee in vestigating the boycott, that a company would not necessarily violate a law if it hired any persons able to obtain the necessary visas to enter the foreign country in which it was interested. Saudi Arabia effectively bans Jews by in sisting on baptismal or other documents attesting to the appli cant's religious affiliation. Regarding possible violations of fair employment statutes, Levi noted that the Department of Justice no longer has authority to bring lawsuits concerning the dis criminatory practices of private employers. The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment on account of race, color,, religion, sex or national origin. Under this statute, the Justice Department has authority only with respect to state and local governments. Alleged discrimination in federal employment is the respon sibility of each individual agency, Levi wrote. "I am informed that both the State Department and the Defense Department have responded to Congress regarding the assignment of Jewish personnel to certain Middle East countries," Levi said. “There are of course difficulties which almost uniformly dis courage Jewish foreign service of ficers or military personnel from seeking assignment to nations which practice discrimination against Jews, but the Defense Department and the State Depart ment assert that they do not follow a discriminatory assignment policy. Private employers are sub ject to the jurisdiction of the Equal Employment Opportunity Com mission." Funeral Held For Label Katz, Ga. B’nai B’rith Parley To Hear Governor Busbee Former B ’mi B ’rith NEW ORLEANS — Funeral services were held April 4 for Label A. Katz, a life-long activist in Jewish affairs who as president of B’nai B’rith in the early 1960s led the first protest campaigns in behalf of Soviet Jews. Mr. Katz died April 3 at St. Charles General Hospital here, following a stroke. He was 56. He was elected head of B’nai B’rith in 1959 at the age of 40, one of the youngest presidents in its 131-year history. He served two three-year terms and, following a visit behind the Iron Curtain in the summer of 1961 to observe the status of Jewish life there, traveled throughout the country and abroad as a persistent and out spoken voice urging the restora tion of religious and cultural freedoms for Jews in the Soviet Union. In Moscow, he presented B’nai B’rith’s representations in unofficial conferences with Soviet authorities. During his six-year tenure. Mr. Katz traveled more than 300,00(1 miles, much of it to stimulate public awareness of the plight of Soviet Jews and to promote, in his own words, “the right of the Jew to he himself — to be Jewish on his own terms and not those decreed by political dictates." In meetings with Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and John son, with Popes John XXIII and Paul VI, with India’s Prime Minister Nehru, Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus and other government, religious and educa tion leaders throughout the world, he sought their “diplomatic in terventions" with Soviet and other regimes that restricted Jewish life. Mr. Katz continued his efforts despite ailing health. He suffered from diabetes and the pace he set for himself, against the advice of doctors, led to the loss of his sight 10 years ago. The handicap notwithstanding, he retained an active and lively in terest in Jewish affairs until a stroke, suffered last year, left him bedridden. President His death came three days short of the eleventh anniversary of the founding of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, a coalition of major organizations which serves as the coordinating body for protest activities in sup port of Soviet Jews. Mr. Katz was a principal con vener of a 1964 assembly in Washington which brought together 24 Jewish organizations and formalized the new group. He was elected its first chairman. David M. Blumberg, current president of B’nai B’rith, in a eulogy at the funeral service, cited Mr Katz’s career as "fulfillments for the Jewish community he serv ed. His intellectual and cultural convictions were strengthened by — TURN TO PAGE 4 GOV BUSBEE Georgia Governor George Busbee will address the delegates, wives and guests at the Annual Georgia B’nai B’rith Association Installation Banquet at 8:30 p.m. Saturday April 19, at the Riviera Hyatt House in Atlanta. At the Banquet Larry Pike of Atlanta will be installed as the Association president for the 1975- 76 term. Dr. Irving Goldstein of Atlanta will be the master of ceremoniis, and the Governor will be introduced by Atlanta attorney, Irving Kaler. The Georgia B’nai B’rith Association has approximately two thousand members throughout the state, more than half of them located in the Atlanta area. Bill Waronker of Atlanta is the outgoing president. Officers from the Atlanta area who will be delegates to the convention include Bernard Iscoe and Marshall Solomon, state vice presidents; Bill Green, state secretary; Davis Abrams, president of Gate City Lodge; Milton Bach, president of Atlanta Lodge and Michael Fried man, president of Kehillah Lodge. B’nai B’rith is the oldest and largest Jewish service organization in the world with more than a half million members. The organiza tion started in 1843. The eleven Lodges in Georgia take active roles in the communities in which they are located and sponsor many activities, such as aiding the han dicapped to find jobs, providing recreation for deprived youths dur ing the summer months, presen ting regularly scheduled talent shows for veterans at the Veteans Administration Hospital and providing patients at the Jewish Home for the Aged with entertain ment and gifts during Jewish festivals. The Convention's business sessions will be held on Sunday morning, Apr. 20, at which time the other officers for the 1975-76 term will be installed by District 5, Dr. A. J. Kravttn of Columbus. Atlanta Emphasis MOSHE DAYAN, former Israeli Defense Minister, will speak at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at Glenn Memorial Auditorium on the Emory University campus. SOLIDARITY DAY for Soviet Jewry will be observed at 8:00 p.m. Sunday. April 13. at the Biology Auditorium of Emory with a special program sponsored by students of Atlanta Hillel/ Federation.