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NEWS BRIEFS
Belli handles Lod Massacre suit
TEL AVIV, (JTA)—The American trial lawyer Melvin Belli
began collecting evidence in Israel to support a $20 million suit
against Air France on behalf of the relatives of 16 Puerto Rican
tourists killed in the Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion Airport)
massacre of May 31, 1972.
The suit charges that lax security measures by the French airline
enabled three heavily armed Japanese Red Army terrorists to
board its flight to Israel that day undetected.
If the suit is successful, the families of the 20 Israeli victims may
also sue Air France. Belli will receive depositions from Israel's
former Ambassador to France Asher Ben Natan who had warned
the French authorities about the inadequacies of security
precautions by Air France. The suit charges that the warnings were
ignored.
USSR Interrupts U.S. mall
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (R. NY)
has disclosed that the Soviet Union is systematically interrupting
the receipt of letters and packages sent by Americans to persons in
the USSR. In a report he prepared for the House Committee on
Post Office and Civil Service, Gilman documented what he termed
a Soviet scheme to isolate its Jewish population in general, and the
activists in particular, from any contact with the outside world.
Katzlr says no to second term»
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—President Ephraim Katzir will not run
tor a second term, it was officially announced here last week.
He informed Knesset Speaker Yitzhak Shamir of his decision on
Dec. 28. Katzir also reportly informed Premier Menachem Begin,
Labor Party chairman Shimon Peres and former Premier Golda
Meir of his decision.
Cat with yarmulka in bad taste?
JOHANNESBURG—The Advertising Standards Authority of j
South Africa is reviewing complaints by Jews that an I
advertisement for cat food is in bad taste and holds the Jewish f
religion up to ridicule. The advertisement, which occupies almost a |
full newspaper page, shows a cat wearing a yarmulka and I
announcing himself to be “Herman Katz, chief cantor of 1
Houghton."
“As chief cantor," he says, “it’s my job to lead the singing of the 1
cat congregation every night in Houghton. But...there was a stage |
when I wasn’t even asked tosingatCatmitzvahs...” Houghton is an 1
area with one of the biggest Jewish populations in Johannesburg. §
Israel's population at 3,650,000
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Israel’s population was 3,650,000at the |
end of 1977, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. The |
Jewish population is 3,076,000 and the non-Jewish is 574,000. The |
rate of growth has decreased in both sectors. The statistics showed J
that the number of Jews increased by 56,000 in 1977, an increase of I
1.8 percent compared to 2.1 percent in 1976. The non-Jewish |
population increased by 19,000, a 3.5 percent hikecompared to 3.9 |
percent in 1976. Of the 56,000 Jews, 52,000 were born in Israel, the i
remainder were immigrants. Some 17,000 Israelis left the country 1
permanently, according to the bureau.
Golda's condition improving
>
TEL AVIV, (JTA) Former Premier Golda Meir was reported
in improved condition by doctors at Beilinson Hospital where she
was taken Saturday morning suffering from severe dehydration
and intense fatigue. Doctors said this may have been due to a
perforation of an ulcer.
Uruguay rejects' anti-Semitism
MONTEVIDEO, (JTA)—There is not and will not be any kind
of anti-Semitism in Uruguay, Dr. Alejandro Rovira, Uruguay’s
Foreign Minister, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a special
interview. The diplomat said that the “liberal and democratic
tradition” of the people of Uruguay rejects any forms of race hatred
and anti-Semitism. He also emphasized that his government
supports current efforts for a settlement between Israel and its
Arab neighbors.
letters to Ihceditor
Lawyers concerned about Soviet Jews
Editor:
For several days last week I had
the opportunity to become
involved with Dean Peter
Liacouras and Professor Burton
e, both of Temple University
School. They were in Atlanta
to participate in the annual
convention of the American
Association of Law Colleges and
were able to arrange a special
session on “Human Rights in the
Soviet Union” Wednesday
evening,, Dec. 28, at the Peachtree
Plaza Hotel.
This session came about because
of the deep interest in the cause of
Soviet Jewry by Dean Liacouras,
who with Prof. Caine, chairman of
Philadelphia’s Lawyer’s Com
mittee on Soviet Jewry, spent a
week in the Soviet Union,
returning to the United States on
December 22.
Dean Liacouras, a soTf spoken
non-Jew, is completely immersed
in the cause of Human Rights,
Soviet Jewry, and particularly
with the care of Anatoly
Shcharansky. While in the USSR,
the two professors met with
leading members of the Moscow
Bar, as well as other Soviet
officials. They expressed their
concern about Shcharansky and
the basis of his arrest and
detention. Some officials
pretended they weren’t aware of
the Shcharansky case until it was
pointed out that both Izvestia and
Tass had widely publicized the
case.
In their meetings with
Refuseniks in Moscow, the
professors were deeply impressed
with their struggle, their loyalty to
the cause of Human Rights for all
Russians, as well as for their fellow
Jews. Among those they met with
were Vladimir and Maria Slepak,
whose son, Alexander, had left the
USSR a short .time before. He
visited Atlanta barely one month
ago. v
When Dean Liacouras and
Professor Caine returned to the
United States, they immediately
contacted the Association of
American Law Colleges and
received permission to set up the
special “Human Rights" session.
When they arrived in Atlanta I was
. impressed with their zeal in putting
up posters to advertise the session,
in distributing petitions among the
1500 law school faculty attending
the convention, and in urging
participation in the special session.
They expect to place the signed
petition in the New York Times, in
the form of an ad.
For an impromptu gathering,
the Human Rights session was
indeed impressive. Over 100 law
faculty at this session were
addressed by Harvard Law
Professor Alan Dershowitz, a
noted civil libertarian, and
Professor Harold Berman, also of
Harvard, reputed to be the
country’s leading authority on
Soviet law. Prof. Dershowitz is.
among a distinguished group of
American jurists who volunteered
to go to Russia and* defend
Shcharansky. His summation of
the Shcharansky case was more
enlightening than all the reports I
have received over the years from a
variety of organizations involved
with Soviet Jewry.
Prof. Berman, on the other
hand, did not deal directly with the
Shcharansky case, but talked
about Soviet law as such. He stated
that the new Soviet constitution
has provided for more freedom for
the Russians—that great strides
have been made in this direction.
There may be more freedom
now than under Stalin, but this is
only relative. We are reminded
that it was not too long ago that a
vicious anti-Seffiitic attack was
launched on T.V. and the press
throughout Russia. The number of
synagogues in Russia is now down
to 69. Other religious groups are
oppressed as well.
The point that Dershowitz
made, and which was substanti
ated by the experience of
Liacouras and Caine in Moscow, is
that the law is not really
understood i>y the legal
community. In addition, the
wishes of the Supreme Soviet can
literally set any law aside, as
demonstrated in the handling of
th<a Shcharansky case, where his
pre-trial term was extended for
another six months.
We in America—and in
Atlanta- have an obligation as
Jews, to do everything in our
power to demonstrate our concern
through active contacts with the
administration in Washington and
through expressions of concern to
Ambassador Dobyrnin. Equally
important is the need for
individuals, yofangand old, and for
all organizational groups to
“adopt” and write to a Refusenik
or a Prisoner of Conscience.
Tangible expressions of concern
by individuals and groups around
the country, such as our Soviet
Jewry Committee, and Dean
Liacouras and his colleagues, serve
to put the Soviets on notice that
the world is looking at them.
As concerned human beings, as
Jews, we can do no less—we all
should do more.
Marvin B. Schpeiser
Director, Community Planning
Allan la Jewish Welfare
Federation
Will NBG boycott?
Editor:
Regarding your front page story
last Week about the purchase of
Bert Lances’ stock in the National
Bank of Georgia by the Saudi
Arabian, Gaith Pharaon
Please let me quote from the
same Atlanta Journal article of
Dec. 28. "We are restricted now
from doing business with Israel hv
Memorial Arts
incident
Editor:
I just visited the exciting
Hammer Collection at the
Memorial Arts Center and had
time to visit also the permanent
collection which has grown
splendidly. >
As I stood there before a
painting of one of the Dutch
masters depicting the Crucifixion
of Christ I noticed three little boys
right in front of me studying the
painting. They were about 5, 8 and
10 years old.
Says the smallest boy: “Gee, did
you see, the thieves are only bound
to the cross by ropes, but Jesus'
hands are nailed qnd so are his
feet."
Replied the eight year old:
“Yeah, the Jews did that."
Does the Church still perpetuate
this infamous story?
Arthur Sanders
the Palestinian and boycott
problems..."
To me, this clearly states that the
NBG will not now do business with
Israel that the NBG will be a part
of the boycott of Israel.
I think some investigation is
called for. and if NBG is a part of
the boycott, appropriate actions to
alert the Jewish community should
be taken.
Ben Rabinowitz
Beware the PLO
If pcareis someday to become a reality in the Middle East it will
be attained without the participation of the PLO. For too long
now, the Palestine Liberation Organization, under the leadership
of a fanatic named Yassir Arafat, has claimed without justification
to be the rightful spokesman for all Palestinians.
Leaders of many Arab countries have aggravated the situation,
and made peace-efforts more difficult, by giving support to Arafat
and by excusing his gang of revolutionaries for their airplane high-
jackings, bombings and brutal assassinations.
Now that Egypt’s President Sadat is pursuing a peace initiative
that the Pl.O has condemned and repudiated, perhaps the day will
come when Sadat and other responsible Arab officials will realize
that they cannot tolerate or do business with Arafat’s brand of
radicalism.
The fact is that Arafat is opposed to the best interests, not only of
Israel, but i of the Palestinians, and of all Arabs as well. He wants
violence, not peace, and he is little concerned with making life
better for poor Palestinians, but rather for strengthening his
personal power
Any agreement that the PLO might sign-and it is doubtful that
Arafat would agree to anything other than total annihilation of
Israel—wouldn’t be worth the paper it is written on.
Centuries of bloodshed in the Middle East, and especially the
tragic wars of the past three decades, have been the product of
ruthless troublemakers such as Yassir Arafat
We must hope that in the crucial weeks ahead, all legitimate
participants in Middle East Peace negotiations will have the ,
wisdom and courage to renounce and reject the terrorism and
intransigence of Arafat and the PLO.
Page 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE January 6, 197*