Golda Myerson Attacks Czech Anti-zionist Allegations at U.N.

Mrs. Golda Myerson, Israel’s Minister of Labor, who came to New York specially to head the Israel delegation at the United Nations during the debate that may arise on Soviet anti-Semitism, today made here first attack at the session of the U.N. Political Committee. She took issue sharply with the allegations made yesterday by Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Vaclav David who said that Zionist were linked with the sabotage movement in his country.

Declaring that these allegations were ”as absurd as they slanderous,” Mrs. Myerson noted that Mr. David had made only passing references in ” most limited and most discreet terms” to the Slansky trial and to the alleged Zionist implication. She pointed out that the representative of Czechoslovakia had made charges here that there was ”an international conspiracy aimed at the destruction of his country by means of espionage and sabotage,” and that similar charges had been made by the Soviet Union and rejected by the General Assembly.

But this time, Mrs. Myerson said, a new element had been added by the inclusion of Zionists among those accused to trying to subvert and destroy the Government of Czechoslovakia as well as other states associated with it. The Zionist movement was ”the liberation movement of the Jewish people ” and as such had long received the recognition of ”the enlightened world,” she stressed.

However. Mrs. Myerson continued, the full meaning of the Czechoslovak charges could only be understood in the context of the wider background. The representative of Czechoslovakia had referred only in a limited way to ”the recent proceedings in Prague which have engaged the attention of the entire world” being apparently unwilling ”to expose that macabre show” to the judgment of this forum of international opinion, she asserted.

The Czechoslovak Foreign Minister had made only passing references to the Slansky trial and to Zionists as ”elements in a conspiracy,” Mrs. Myerson stated. but at home the Czechoslovak Government had been ”less timid” and had made ”flamboyant” charges of ”an international Jewish conspiracy involving the Zionist organization, Jewish relief agencies, prominent Jews in various countries and even the State of Israel itself.”

Mrs. Myerson recalled that earlier in the session the Israel delegation had stated its intention to raise ”issues of deep gravity affecting friendly relations among nations. ” At that time, she said, Israel would present to the Assembly ”the record of the policies of anti-Jewish incitement adopted by the Governments of Czechoslovakia, the USSR and other states allied with them, of which the Slansky trial is but one manifestation.”

Mrs. Myerson is expected to appear again this week at the U.N. Political Committee toddle with the item of Soviet anti-Semitism, She will return to Israel to resume here Cabinet duties immediately after the session is over. Ambassador Abba Eban, Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, is continuing with this responsibility in addition to his work as Israel Ambassador to the United States.