ft.'"
111.-.--
yuYitI J
LENINGRAD—A group of 29. Soviet Jews who said they have been denied emigration for "reasons of state," recently asked a U.S. congressional commission for a five-point probe to define the meaning of "state secret."
They said such a study would "undermine the possibili^ of arbitrary disposition which any state can exercise over the individual."
The Jews' comments were contained in a letter mailed to the U.S. congressional commission for monitoring, fulfilment of the Helsinki accord, and were made available here.
"It seems to us that it is necessary to work out universal criteria for that information which constitutes state siecrets and to define the period for downgrading these secrets," the letter said.
The group said that refusals of Soviet exit-visas are "basically motivated by reasons of state, by which it is understood that the petitioner or his relatives possess state secrets."
The letter said the U.S. commission was the first "high organ" for monitoring the guarantees of human rights agreed upon at the Helsinki security conference in 1975.
It said the Soviet Union signed the agreement guaranteeing civil rights, but "with a vaguely formulated resc rvation mentioning in -tereists of state." '
"No legislation (in the Soviet Union) or even published in -structions about leaving the country exist, and even a list of that information which;constitutes state secrets is itself a closed
document," the letter said.
The document asked for the formation of a panel under the committee's auspices consisting of scientists, lawyers and engineers to investigate -o To what degree does the state
.have a right to classify information which constitutes secrets? 9 What aspects of human activity can be included among state secrets?
® At what point of research and development can an item or project become a state secret?
• What people taking part in a project can be called possesr
sers of state secrets, and can relatii^es of those persons also be considered possessors oif such secrets?
• What is the schedule of the downgrading of these secrets-
'liiiE
both by branch of industry and by degree of participation. * "It seems to us that the formulation • of answers to these questions will make a serious contribution to the cause of defence of civil rights." the letter said.
In Moscow, meanwhile, a dissident Soviet scientist appealed for contributions to replenish the Solzhenitsyn Fund for political prisoners in the Soviet Union. Police seized money and goods belonging to the fund in a raid.
The appeal, copies of which were circulated to Western correspondents' in the Soviet capital, was issued by physicist Yuri Mnyuk'ch, who was present during a 20-hour search of the apartment of the fund's manager, dissident Alexander Ginzburg.
SHABBAT SHALOM—THURSDAY, JANUARY27, 1977—SHEVAT 8, 5737
VOL. XLIV, No. 4 <m^- $18.00 per year, this issue 30c
Name United Jewish Appeal BOYCOTT ermanent Board chairmen
EXTENSIVE
LESLIE RAPHAEL
The Vancouver office of the United Jewish Appeal tliis weeli announced the appointment of Leslie Rajphael and Frances Belzberg as respective chairmen of the Pennanent Men's and Women's UJA Boards. The position of Permanent cHainhan is a three-year post iatended to provide overall integration and continjodty to all UJA fundraisi^
Jn announcing the new Men's chairman, spokesmen stated: "Mr. Raphael's background, experience and abilities will provide a hiuch needed resource for the continuing success of the Appeal. He has devoted much of his time and energy to the Zionist cause
for many years. A prominent
Vancouver businessman, he brings to the position financial acumen and considerable experience in community affairs."
Mr. Raphael is past B.C. president of the Zionist Organization of Canada, and past Western Division chairman of that organization. He was a member of the
r-i M
>
H-i
< 2
< CC
X
W M C "H
M J E-O a 'Li > &5 < M 00
h4 CU > >
NEW YORK—The decision of planners of the
1 inauguration of President Jimmy Carter and Vice-President Walter Mondale not to include a Rabbi and
; an Orthodox priest in the ceremony's religious segment was criticized by Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum, mter-religious affairs durector of the American Jewisli Committee. United Methodist Bishop William Cannon of Atlanta, a personal friend of Carter, gave the invocation and Catholic Archbishop John Roach of Minneapolis, a personal friend of Mondale offered the
: benediction. The plan broke with a 20-year tradition of having rabbis and Orthodox priests included, which began in 1949, when a rabbi participated for
I the first time.
Cantor Isaac Goodfriend of Atianta, sang the Star
! Spangled Banner to close the ceremony.. Tanenbaum said a cantor„suiging the national anthem "is not
; exactly an expression of Judaism nordoes it take seriously the Jewish preseiicc in America."
first Canadian Leadership Mission for Israel Bonds and Keren Hayesod United Israel Appeal in 1960. V.::- v-: ■ >
Mr. Raiphael served as chairman of the UJA of B.C. in 1966 and is a former treasurer of the Vancouver Jewish Community Centre.
Frances Belzberg, her husband Samuel; and their four children moved to Vancouver iin 1968 from Edmonton, where they were involved in every aspect of comr ^ munity life.
Upon taking up residence here, Mrs. Belzberg again: became in-r volved in the Jewish community through Hadassah-Wizo Council and is currentiy the organization's national portfolio chairman for the Hebrew University.
She chaired the Women's UJA campaign in 1970-1971 and the Women's Israel Bond drive in 1972.
Mrs. Belzberg was instrumental in helping to organize the national Women's United Israel Ai^eal of Canada, and has served on its national executive in two capacities: iirst, as Missions Leader, heading a most successful mission to Israel in 1975; and second, as chairman of the leakers' Bureau, coordinating -speakers across Canada.
OTTAWA — Eight major Canadian firms were identified re-centty as among a larger number of Canadian businesses that comply with the Arab boycott of Israel.
The Commission on Economic Coercion and Discrimination, -headed vby Prof. Irwin Cotler of ^ McOm^tTnii^rsij^^reMrte that it fbuiW''*Tpaf^§t ofcom-^pliance and .complicity, with the Arab t>oycott in both the -public and private sectors."
It also identified seven types of boycott clauses found in boycptted-^related documents including some reflecting religious discrimination.
Among the findings were that Canadian chartered banks process letters of credit *ith: boycott-related provisions; Canadian firms conipiy with boycott clauses of a secondary and tertiary character wMch the Canadian government has called repugnant and unacceptable; Canadian boards of trade certify as to compliance with the boycott; and the Canadian goyernmeiit, through its agencies and officials, has acquiesced and facilitated the application of the Arab boycott in Canada.
• TheCommissiori said, however, that it was "heartened aiid encouraged by the government's statement of policy on Oct. 21,
(Continued on page 6) see BOYCOTT
During the search, one of five raids on the apartments of members of a dissident group monitoring Soviet observance of the Helsinki accords, police confiscated $10,000 worth of rubles and goods worth an estimated $5,000.
In his appeal Dr.. Mnyukh charged that the police aim was to liquidate the fund,> set up by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1974.
The physicist called on "all who prize justice not to allow this new disgrace" and asked for voluntary contributions "not only to compensate the material losses of the fund but to increase it."
(Jerusalem Post)
tie ireak iimukely
JERUSALEM — Israel is expected to ask France to pos^one visits by three French Cabinet ministers scheduled to take place during next two months, but it is not likely to break diplomatic ties with France oyer release. of Palestinian terrorist Abu Daoud, sources here said. :
SUPPORT iAeiN
JERUSALEM—A delegatioh of 30 mayors and other local authorities in new development towns met with Premier Yitzhak Rabin to express tfieir support for his continued leaderstdp of Labor Party.
noIseWndards
JERUSALEM —Transport Ministry will begin monitoring aircraft noise and will eventually set .maximuih permissible^noiser
pollution levels......-',
* * *
RAMAT CAN—Maccabi World Union, in conjunction with other bodies, is making efforts to establish contact with Jewish communities in East European nations, with a view to tiieir sending sports delegations to the 10th Maccabiah in July.
ASSAD: PEACE
WOWTMATTEii
TUNISIA^In an mteryiew vvith Egyptian Radio, Assad, the Syria,n President, declared thar diplomatic and commercial relations with Israel are out-of-the-question even after the conflict in the Middle East will be settled and Israel will witiidraw from all the occupied territory.; He claimed that there are many states that are at peace but they do not have diplomatic or economic relations.
Jew wins
NEW YORK—Gershon Eigner, a Chassidic Jew, has won his legal battle with the federal govr ernment for the right to wear a full beard as a federal protection officer, according to Sidney Kwestel, president of the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs.
Eigner was liired in April, 1975, ,as a federal protection officer and fought for eight months against orders to shave off his beard, which he asserted he wore as a matter of religious cribseryance. The Federal Protection Service provides security personnel for federal facilities.
The regulation Eigner challenged provides that "the face will be clean shaven except for a mustache, if desired."
After eight months of resistance, . Eigner was transferred out of the Federal Protection Service, in January of 1976i taking a post with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation where he is a claims examiner.
In his complaint before a hearing examiner of the United States Civil Service Commission last August, Eigner contended tiiat the grooming regulation was a violation of the federal Civil Rights Act and Civil Service Regulations which require federal agencies to "make reasonable accommodation to the religious needs" of its employes, unless it can be demonstrated that to do so would result in an "undue hardship" to the agency.
•1 1