Israeli Athletes in Moscow Subjected to Indignities

Israeli athletes participating in the World University Games in Moscow which began last Wednesday have been subjected to endless boos, jeering and catcalls from Soviet spectators, according to reports reaching here. When the 25-member Israeli contingent marched into the stadium under their flag at the opening, the television cameras were turned away from them and the hostility of the crowd of some 100,000 was made evident by the shouts of derision, the reports said.

According to another report, Moscow Jews holding tickets to a basketball game between Israel and Cuba were forcibly barred from entering the sports arena where the game was being played. The Jews were confronted by barriers and Soviet militia who admitted only a handful and told the rest that there were no more seats.

The arena which has a capacity of 500 seats was packed with Russian cadets and with soldiers in uniform and in civilian dress who led the jeering of the Israeli players, one eye-witness reported. Whenever one of the handful of Jews admitted to the games left the arena for any reason he was not permitted to re-enter, the witness said. Militia men outside repeatedly demanded papers from Jews and several scuffles ensued.

Yassir Arafat, leader of El Fatah, was a special guest of the Soviet Organizing Committee at the games and was reportedly feted in Moscow. According to one report, Israeli athletes "with the memory of the Munich massacre still fresh in their minds, again have found themselves in hostile surroundings but they vow they are not afraid." One Israeli athlete was quoted as saying, "We are getting used to this. We always live on the edge of danger."

Dr. William Perl, acting national chairman of the Jewish Defense League, warned in Washington yesterday that "when Soviet athletes visit America we cannot guarantee their safety." Perl said that Soviet athletes cannot be viewed as sportsmen but as "political emissaries of a system spreading and practicing hate."