Newspaper Page Text
VOL. LI One Section, 12 Pages
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, August 29, 1975
25c A Copy
NO. 35
Haile Selassie Dies at 83;
Solomon Descendant?
ADAS ABABA — Death Wednesday claimed the life of Ethiopia’s
former Emperor Haile Selassie at age 83.
He has been dethroned in 1974 after a 57-year-old rule as “King of
Kings, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”
Selassie first won international admiration in the 1930’s when an
invasion force of Benito Mussolini swept through his tiny and
militarily unsophisticated country.
The injustice was similar in many respect to the deluge of innocent
countries which w'as to follow soon throughout Europe by the un
stoppable Nazi forces.
Yet, somehow Selassie withstood the invasion.
His stand won the admiration of Jewish individuals and groups
the world over. The Ethiopian ruler laid claims to being a direct
descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Falashian
Jews of his land periodically have attracted attention to the uni
queness of their ancestrial and religious practices.
Rabin Calls on U.S., Canadian
Jews For Increased Financial Aid
itiated at the three-day conven
tion and which brought its
sessions to a close Sunday
afternoon. He said that the
Israel Bond campaign was vital
to strengthen Israel ecqnomical-
ly in the qiidst of critic^
negotiations for peace and
provide “a decisive and construc
tive answer to intensified Arab
economic warfare fueled by in
credible oil wealth.”
In response to Rabin’s call
for greater economic
assistance, the conference
launched a two-pronged
program to broaden campaign
activities in the Jewish com
munity as well as in the
business and financial world.
Arnon said that the opening of
the fall campaign will have its
most important phase through
- TURN TO PAGE 28
Kissinger Shuttle Nears Success
CHICAGO (JTA) — Premier
Yitzhak Rabin called on Jewish
communities in the United
States and Canada Sunday for
increased large-scale financial
aid to help solve Israel’s serious
economic problems.
In the midst of his
negotiations for a new interim
agreement with Egypt, Israel’s
Premier cabled an urgent re
quest to 000 Jewish leaders
meeting here at the Inter
national Fall Planning
Conference of Israel Bonds
asking for help to “lighten the
burden of our people.” He said
they were hard pressed by
“serioW economic problems”
resulting largely from Israel’s
enormous defense burden.
Israel Bond funds are needed,
Rabin said, “to maintain our
economic stability and the
momentum of our economic
development.” Referring to the
latest disengagement
negotiations, he emphasized that
despite its strong commitment
to peace, Israel “would never
agree to peace at the expense of
our vital security.”
Ral|in attributed the present
difficult economic situation to
"overwhelming defense needs,” a
continued high rate of inflation
and the gap in the balance of
payments. The message from
the Premier was addressed to
Sam Rothberg, general chair
man, and Michael Arnon, presi
dent of the Israel Bond
Organization.
Rothberg sounded the keynote
of the fall campaign for the sale
of Israel Bonds which was in-
New York Cabbies
To Speak Ivrit
NEW YORK, (JTA) - Next
time you step into a cab in New
York City, don’t be surprised if
the cab driver speaks Hebrew or
identifies himself as an Israeli.
This is very likely to happen,
considering the fact that
presently there are bOQ^to 700
Israeli cab drivers in NYU.
by DAVID LANDAU
JERUSALEM, (JTA) - The
“Kissinger Shuttle” appeared
more certain than ever of
success this week as Secretary of
State Henry A. Kissinger took
off for Alexandria after spen
ding two nights and a day here
in Israel. A major
breakthrough which Kissinger
made known to the Israeli
negotiating team seems to
have cleared a major obstacle
on the path to full agreement
on the territorial aspects of the
accord. Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat, Kissinger told
the Israelis, was no longer
pushing for an Egyptian ad
vance beyond the present
buffet zone into land presently
held by Israel.
The Israeli ministers had ex
plained during the shuttle’s first
round that this was an especially
sensitive issue for them, since it
was linked to the “principle of
Sinai demilitarization.” They ex
plained that in an eventual final
would be demilitarized. If Egypt
were to advance beyond the pre
sent United Nations Emergency
Force lines, this, they contended,
would prejudice the principle of
future demilitarization.
This Egyptian softening, in
addition to Sadat’s agreement to
Israeli manning of the Umm
Hasheiba warning stations, gave
grounds for hope here that the
shuttle was steadily moving to
its successful conclusion.
However, reports by reporters
from Alexandria that a “senior
U.S. official” expected Egypt to
advance beyond the UN buffer
zone into Israeli-held land under
the new agreement caused some
consternation here in Jerusalem.
Sources here had said that Sadat
had foregone his demand to ad
vance beyond “Line Beta” — the
eastern side of the present
buffer.
But officials soon regained
their composure and explained
that what the “senior U.S. of
ficial” apparently had in mind
was a 1.5 kilometer advance
across a 4-kilometer stretch at
the top of the Gulf of Suez
coastal strip. Technically this
would mean Egyptian entry into
the present UNEF buffer. But
Israeli officials stressed that the
overall principle that the buffer
remain demilitarized and under
UNEF remains in force in the
vital areas from the Mediterra
nean all the way down to south
of the Mitle Pass.
Sadat had earlier demanded
significant advances by his
troops at several crucial points
along this line. But Israeli had
consistently rejected this de
mand, the officials here explain
ed, and this rejection was still
- TURN TO PAGE 27
RUSSIAN WAY:
Roitburd Trial Continues
NEW YORK, (JTA) — The
trial of Lev Roitburd, which
opened Aug. 22 at the Odessa
Airport resumed Monday after
the judge declared that
testimony by prosecution
barred Roitburd’s relatives, ex
cept for his wife, mother and one
other relative. The main
prosecution witnesses were not
present, including the policeman
who had allegedly been beaten
National Conference on Soviet
Jewry reported Aug. 25.
The 39-year-old engineer and
“refusnik” from Odessa is being
charged with “resisting arrest.”
According to the NCSJ, reports
from the Soviet Union indicate
that the trial is being held in the
open in an effort to arouse public
sentiment against Roitburd.
At the opening of the trial a
lecture was given to the airport
workers about international
problems which, the NCSJ said,
amounted to a vicious attack on
Zionism, comparing it to
fascism. At the end of the lec
ture, the workers were asked to
remain for the formal trial itself
so as to prevent “Zionists” out
side the airport's trial room
from making provocations dur
ing the trial.
Police outside the trial room
Those prosecution witnesses
who did speak gave muddled and
contradictory testimony, the
NCSJ reported. Roitburd’s
lawyer asked for a postpone
ment and a thorough investiga-.
tion of the charges which alleged
that Roitburd had beaten a
policeman when the defendant
was prevented from leaving
Odessa to go to Moscow in June.
When Roitburd was allowed to
speak he was continually in
terrupted by the audience. The
judge then declared a three-hour
recess. When the trial resumed
Friday, no relatives of Roitburd
were permitted into the trial
room but airport workers were
allowed in. The judge then an
nounced that the testimony was
not clear and ordered the trial
postponed until the afternoon.
.9&P