Kahane: ‘indefinite Moratorium on Harassments; Hershkovits Couple Plead Guilty

Rabbi Meir Kahane, national chairman of the Jewish Defense League said today that his organization was calling an “indefinite moratorium on any further harassment of the Soviets.” Rabbi Kahane, one of eight JDL members indicted yesterday by the New York County Grand Jury on various charges of harassment and disorderly conduct, said the moratorium would continue for “a reasonable period of time” but warned that “if we don’t see any results, we’ll go back to our harassing.” He indicated that the moratorium stemmed from his contacts with “various people in the government” and leaders of various Jewish organizations who “told us that we have made our point.” He said they told him that his group would accomplish more by working through orthodox channels. Rabbi Kahane said the JDL would continue anti-Soviet picketing but promised that the demonstrations would be orderly. He made this announcement while speaking to newsmen in front of the Criminal Court where he was ordered to appear this morning on a bench warrant on charges of disorderly conduct during the 100-hour vigil last month in front of the Soviet United Nations Mission. Meanwhile, the executive director of the JDL today assailed the indictments as “part of the promised crackdown of the Nixon administration on the JDL.”

Lawrence Fine, who was among three defendants indicted on the charge of assaulting a policeman, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the indictments were clearly the “implementation of a similar promise made by (Mayor John V.) Lindsay to ‘get tough’ ” On Jan. 11. Mayor Lindsay issued a directive to the New York City Police Department to be “as alert and as forceful as necessary” in dealing with the JDL. The eight were indicted yesterday on a variety of charges, including rioting, inciting to riot, criminal mischief, burglary and assault, stemming from incidents allegedly perpetrated by League members outside two Soviet offices and inside the offices of the Action Committee on American-Arab Relations. At the same time, the JTA learned today that Avrum and Nancy Hershkovits, the young couple arrested on Sept. 27 for attempting to board a London-bound airliner armed with guns and grenades in order to allegedly hijack an Arab plane, pleaded guilty to the charge of falsifying their passports during a hearing yesterday in the U.S. Federal Court -Eastern Region. They had applied for permits under the fictitious names of Gordon Joseph Rider and Nancy Joan McGovern. They are expected to be sentenced next month. Hershkovits, 27, was returned to the Federal House of Detention in Manhattan where he had been detained in lieu of bail since his arrest. His 19-year-old wife was released on $25,000 bail in late October. Seven of the defendants, including Rabbi Kahane, pleaded not guilty and were released on bail in the Manhattan Supreme Court. The eighth, who is 18 years old, will be arraigned January 27 in the Youth Part of the State Supreme Court. Before agreeing to set “nominal” bail for the seven who pleaded before him, Supreme Court Justice Gerald P. Culkin made each one promise not to engage in further “illegal activities.” Rabbi Kahane was indicted on three counts: rioting, which has a maximum penalty of four years; inciting to riot, with a maximum penalty of one year, and unlawful assembly, 90 days.