Newspaper Page Text
Shades of Show Trials
Khrushchev Ordered 1958
Trials on Trumped-Up Charges
VOL. LI One Section, 16 Pages Atlanta, Ga., Friday; May 16, 1975 NO. 20
Israel, EEC Sign Trade Accord
JERUSALEM, (JTA) —
Nikita Khrushchev ordered the
holding of show trials against Jews
on trumped-up economic charges
in Rumania in 1958, it was reveal
ed here by Mirzia Ofrishan, a
former Rumanian minister of
foreign trade.
According to Ofrishan, who
revealed this to Israeli journalist
Alexander Coren, many of the
Jews charged were sentenced to
long terms ofd imprisonment.
They were later paroled and sub
jected to heavy fines.
Ofrishan represented Rumania
in COMECON and made aliya
five months ago. Coren has broad
cast for the israeli radio and has
written for Al Hamishmar. The
former Rumanian minister said his
aliya was made possible after per
sonal interventions on his behalf
with authorities in Bucharest by
several people, including former
French Foreign Minister Couvede
Murville.
In his statements to Coren,
Ofrishan listed some of the Jews
accused during the 1958 trials,
several of them only by last name.
They included: Paul Goldstein
(Stefanescu), an official in the
ministry of foreign trade; Mrs.
Mira Wallich, an employe of
“Agroexport”; Rosinger, manager
of the “Romaocxport" company;
Donath, deputy manager of
another company involved in
overseas trade; Kostin, Rumanian
economic minister in East Ger
many; and Radou, employed by
another export firm.
“The only one who refused to
confess to the charges was
Rosinger,” Ofrishan said. “He
claimed that if there had been
CHICAGO (JTA) — The
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Chicago, at a special board
meeting last Friday, voted un
animously to provide resettlement
assistance requested by the United
States government for refugees
from South Vietnam. This action
is the first by any of the Jewish
Federations throughout the coun
try who have been asked to par
ticipate, officials said. Sidney J.
Hess Jr., president of the Federa
tion, announced that the organiza-
tion and its affiliates and
beneficiaries will make available
services to approximately 500 per
sons for resettlement immediately
in the Chicago area.
"Our action,” Hess said, “is
consistent with the historic Jewish
and American response to the
needs of the homeless and
dependnet. We are joining with
many sectarian and non-sectarian
agencies of all faiths throughout
the country in this massive
humanitarian effort." James P.
Rice, Federation executive vice-
president, reported that the
resettlerrlent process will be in
itiated by the United HIAS Ser
vice. HIAS staff members in the
three government receiving centers
in California, Arkansas and
Florida will channel refugees to
each community based on in
dividual sponsorships which are
being received in Washington by
the thousands from all over the
crimes, then senior officials of the
ministry of foreign trade were just
as guilty as the accused.” Ofrishan
was one of the political-economic
elite in Rumania at the time. He
travelled to the People’s Republic
of China and North Korea in his
official capacity and twice visited
Israel as a member of Rumanian
trade delegations. *
Ofrishan said the then-interior
Minister, Draghitz, personally
supervised the trials. The court
president, Adrian Dumitriu later
became Justice Minister and its
presently chairman of the Ruma
nian Bar Association. Asked why
he was not among those tried in
1958, Ofrishan replied that he
didn’t know, and that he knew
nothing about the affair until years
later. Only a few interior and
justice ministers knew about it, he
added. Rumania at that time was
not independent of Moscow as it is
today, Ofrishan noted, but very
much a satellite.
Rosen Doubts Veracity
Of Statement
‘(Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen of
Rumania, in Britain for a short
visit, told the JTA that he was
“astonished with Ofrishan’s state
ment. He never had anything to do
with Jewish life in Rumania.
Indeed, he went so far as to change
his original Jewish name and now I
see he is suddenly speaking of
Jewish problems after all these
years. All of a sudden Ofrishan
appeared in my office eighteen
months ago asking me to help him
emigrate. Until then I never even
knew that he was a Jew. I am very
doubtful as to the veracity of his
story.”)
country, Rice said.
Upon arrival in Chicago, the
Jewish Family and Community
Service will assist the refugees in
finding housing and in getting
acclimated to the language and
culture. The Jewish Vocational
Service will assist the ap
proximately 100 heads of
households in finding employment.
Other Federation agencies will
provide health and welfare services
of experienced voluntary agencies
like Federation of experienced
voluntary agencies like Federation
are being utilized in the resettle
ment, the costs will be met by
government funds.
Meanwhile, the Central
Conference of American Rabbis
and the Workmen’s Circle added
their pledges of cooperation to aid
in the measures to help resettle
Vietnamese refugees in the U. S.
William Stern, executive director
of the Workmen’s Circle, added in
his telegram to President Ford.
“We regret such action was not
taken in behalf of Jewish survivors
following World War II, but we
must never again fail to aid sur
vivors of disasters or wars or those
seeking refuge from tyranny.”
Last week the American Jewish
Committee, American Jewish
Congress, the national executive
board of B’nai B'rith Women, and
the New York Board of Rabbis
announced their support for the
Vietnamese resettlement effort.
by EDWIN EYTAN
BRUSSELS, (JTA) — Israel’s
Foreign Minister Yigal Allon, and
the current president of the
Ministerial Council of the Euro
pean Economic Community,
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Garrett
Fitzgerald, signed here Sunday
Israel’s economic incorporation
treaty with the nine-states Com
munity.
The treaty, which will be en
forced as of July 1, was also signed
by Commission President
Francois-Xavier Ortoli.
BRUSSELS, (JTA) — Israeli
Foreign Minister Yigal Allon said
here before returning to Israel
that his country’s agreement with
the European Economic Com
munity (EEC) shows that Europe
is not intimidated by Arab threats.
Allon, who previously signed the
trade agreement, also said that the
pact shows that the Arab boycott
against Israel is.not working.
In spite of Allon’s declaration,
EEC officials went out of their way
to stress that the agreement signed
with Israel is only part of a global
settlement for the entire
Mediterranean area. EEC officials
told the Jewish Telegraphic Agen
cy that negotiations with the Arab
states will start in autumn. They
said that the EEC Commission ex
pects its mandate from the nine
member states by late June.
Negotiations with Morocco,
Tunisia and Algeria are near com
pletion and should be concluded
before the end of the year, the of
ficials said.
Ban on V-E Day
Celebrations
Ires French Jewry
PARIS (JTA) — Jewish organi
zations in France are enraged with
President Valery Giscard d’Es-
taing’s announcement that France,
in an effort to promote European
solidarity, will no longer celebrate
the Allied victory over Nazi Ger
many. The veterans section of the
League Against Racism and Anti-
Semitism (LICA), declared that
the commemorations are far from
being a display of hatred; rather,
they remind the younger genera
tion that the repetition of such
atrocities must be prevented. A
spokesman for the Movement
Against Racism and Anti-Semi
tism and for Peace (MRAP)
stated, "We cannot build a demo
cratic Europe today by forgetting
Nazism and the sacrifices we
made to destroy it."
Allon said at the ceremony,
which took place at the Val
Duchesse Palace near Brussels,
that the agreement has not only
economic but also great political
importance. He said: “Europe is
paving the way to a new kind of
cooperation which, we believe, may
provide a model for regional
cooperation in our area. It may
seem utopian today, but we are sure
that the day will come when the
states of the Middle East will live iR
peace, will trade freely with each
other and exchange their
knowledge and acknowledge the
The officials were obviously per
turbed by Arab protests, which
stretched from Algeria to Kuwait,
and by Israel’s open jubilation. Of
ficials privately expressed the wish
that Israel would make its satisfac
tion known in a more discreet way.
In spite of this behind-the-scenes
maneuvering, Israel and the EEC
Turn to Page 6
NEW YORK, (JTA) —
Thousands of young people
marched along Fifth Avenue in
warm and sunny weather Sunday
in the llth annual “Salute to
Israel” parade declaring that
Israel will survive despite acts of
terrorism against her and that the
Jewish people are united as one.
According to Robert H.Arnow, a
parade co-chairman, an estimated
250,000 persons lined up along the
15-block route. An independent
check by the JTA with police of
ficials at the parade confirmed the
figure. The event, sponsored by the
American Zionist Youth Federa
tion, marked Israel's 27th anniver
sary.
The response to terrorism was a
strong theme in this year's march.
The "Am Echad" theme float
carried five high school students
from Maalot, Kiryat Shemona,
Bet Shean, Shlomi and Safad, all
development towns which were
targets of terrorist attacks. They
were preceded by a group of
American Jewish high school
students carrying a banner saying,
“We welcome our sisters and
brothers frorp Israel.” A group of
youngsters from the East
Midwood Jewish Center of
Brooklyn wearing green and white
gowns, carried flowers in
memorial of terorist victims.
mutual advantage of all their pop
ulations.”
The Israeli Foreign Minister
said that, in the Middle East, as in
Europe, economic integration
could well be an important element
of peaceful co-existence. The
agreement provides for the com
plete abolition of all customs
duties and other forms of taxation
on Israeli exports, industrial and
agricultural, to the Community.
European customs will drop as
of July I by between 40 to 60 per
cent, according to the product, and
will be completely cancelled by
July 1, 1977. Certain restrictions
still exist on a number of products,
including citrus derivatives, at
Italy’s demand.
The EEC is expected to sign a
similar agreement with the North
African countries and is expected
to start negotiations with four
Arab states in the Middle East:
Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jor
dan, before summer. The EEC
Council decided in July 1974 to es
tablish a Mediterranean Free
Trade Area and adopt a global ap
proach to the countries around
that sea.
Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek,
a special guest of the parade, said
he was bringing greetings to the
“greatest Jewish city in the world
from the world’s oldest Jewish
city." He said the spectators and
marchers were giving support to
israel. “Jerusalem will remain un
ited," he declared. “Israel will
live." Kollek said Israel and the
Arabs can live together as was
demonstrated in Jerusalem for the
Turn to Page 10
Memphis Woman
“Mom of Year ’
Mrs. Josephine Burson, 59, of
Memphis was named “Mother of
the Year" last week in New York.
The selection was announced by
the American Mothers Committee.
Mrs. Burson, a past president of
Memphis Hadassah, has been ac
tive in civic affairs for many years
and served as commissioner of the
Tennessee Department of Employ
ment Security from 1967 through
1971.
Mrs. Burson and her husband
Leo have been married for 35
years and have two children and
two grandchildren. Daughter Lin
da is a drama teacher and son
Charles an attorney.
Chicago Federation to Help
Resettle 500 Refugees
Allon: Israel-EEC Accord Shows
Europe Not Intimidated hy Arabs
250,000 Salute Israel’s
27th Anniversary