On the Eve of the Geneva Summit: Jewish Leaders Speak out

Jewish leaders from around the world, gathered here on the eve of the summit conference between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, stressed today that if the USSR does not abide by the human rights clauses of the Helsinki accords, to which it is a signatory, it cannot be trusted to honor an arms limitation agreement.

That point was emphasized repeatedly by speakers at two press conferences, one held by Jewish leaders this morning and the other early in the afternoon by the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center. Both were attended by large contingents of the international media. Some observers suggested they took attention away from the arrival of Gorbachev who landed here at noon. Reagan arrived in Geneva Saturday.

The only faintly optimistic outlook with respect to Soviet Jews was expressed by Edgar Bronfman, president of the World Jewish Congress, who visited the Soviet Union recently. He said he had contact there with Gorbachev and “We were given to understand that the Soviet Union might make a gesture.”

But Avital Shcharansky, wife of imprisoned activist Anatoly Shcharansky, charged at the other press conference that the situation of Soviet Jews has deteriorated drastically in recent months. She maintained that rumors to the contrary are “an example of Soviet misinformation.” According to Shcharansky, since Gorbachev came to power, the lot of Soviet Jews has worsened.

Avraham Harman, president of the Israeli Council for Soviet Jewry, told the morning press conference, “While the situation of Soviet Jewry continues there can be no trust in the Soviet Union for progress in any of the grave issues facing the world.”

Gerald Kraft, president of B’nai B’rith International, said, “The Soviets must honor these (human rights) commitments if they want us to believe that they will honor any new pledges they make. If the Soviet Union wants the world to believe it will honor an agreement on arms control or missile limitations, they must demonstrate their credibility by honoring an agreement already signed — the Helsinki accord. Only then can the world be certain that a Soviet pledge can be taken seriously.”

Members of the executive committee of the World Conference on Soviet Jewry (successor to the Brussels Conference) made it clear that they are not opposed to either the Soviet government or the Soviet people. “What we want, and this is the reason for our meeting here, is to state our concern for Soviet Jewry,” they said, pointing out that the situation is critical. There are 21 Jewish activists in prison or exile. Last month only 124 Jews were allowed to leave the USSR.