Hadassah Urges Nixon to Oppose Russian Attempts to Impose a Settlement

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, urged President Nixon yesterday to “vigorously oppose” any attempts by the Soviet Union to “impose a settlement” in the Middle East “without negotiations between the two parties concerned.” The national board of Hadassah, holding a four-day conference here, sent a letter to the President asking that the Government take several points into consideration in dealing with the Middle East crisis.

The letter said that President Charles de Gaulle’s attempts to urge Britain and the U.S. to accept the Soviet peace proposals for the Middle East should be viewed against the background of his recent embargo on military equipment and spare parts to Israel. “In light of his posture toward Israel, his endorsement underscores the danger to Israel of the USSR proposals,” the Hadassah letter said. It also said that the Arab states must be made to understand that they are responsible for ending terror- ism against Israel; that secure and recognized boundaries can only be negotiated by the parties concerned; and that the Arabs must be persuaded to negotiate with Israel. The Hadassah letter expressed agreement with an election campaign statement made by Mr. Nixon last fall that the U.S. should make sure that Israel always has a preponderance of military strength over the Arabs to deter aggression.

In a resolution condemning outspoken anti-Semitism of Negro militants, Hadassah declared, “In their legitimate struggle for civil rights, blacks cannot be permitted to make Jews the scapegoats of their frustrations.” The resolution said, “Purveyors of anti-Semitism have no place in the schools, in the press, radio or TV, or in any area of public service and should be summarily dismissed.”

The organization condemned the hangings of nine Iraqi Jews as an act of “savagery and barbarism.” It called on the appropriate organs of the United Nations to “influence the Iraqi Government to permit the pitifully small remnant of a once thriving Jewish community to leave peacefully.” In another resolution, Hadassah urged the Soviet Union to permit Jews throughout the USSR freely to develop Jewish communal and religious life and institutions; to make available the educational institutions, schools, teachers, textbooks and scholarly material necessary to teach Jews their heritage; and to permit Jews wishing to emigrate to do so in order to be reunited with their families.

Mrs. Max Schenk, national president, announced the establishment by Hadassah and the Hebrew University of a medical and dental research fund. Each will contribute $30,000 annually for three years to be used for both clinical and pre-clinical research, she said. The Hadassah national board also voted to improve and expand its medical facilities in Israel. Hadassah spends more than $9 million annually on various projects in Israel which include, health, educational and social welfare programs.