Jewish Leaders Hail Accord

In New York and Washington, Jewish leaders hailed the disengagement accord as another important step on the road to peace in the Mideast and a notable achievement for American diplomatic efforts, especially the tireless and skillful diplomacy by Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. These feelings were expressed by Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Elmer L. Winter, American Jewish Committee president; Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, American Jewish Congress president; David M. Blumberg, B’nai B’rith president; and Rabbi Irwin M. Blank, Synagogue Council of America president.

Rabbi Miller and Rabbi Hertzberg also expressed the view that a next step on the agenda must be the rescue of the surviving remnant of the Jews in Syria. Rabbi Miller said it is the duty of the American Jewish community to direct every effort towards winning their release. Rabbi Hertzberg noted that if Syria permitted the Jews to emigrate it would signify “an important act of faith in the pursuit of a genuine Middle East peace.”

The Jewish leaders also noted that there are still hurdles to be overcome in reaching final and total peace between Israel and her neighbors but that the accord with Syria is a monumental step in that direction.

In addition. Rabbi Blank stated that implicit in the quest for lasting peace “is Israel’s recognition of the legitimacy of the Arab national struggle, including that of the Palestinians.” He added: “We fervently hope that the Palestinians themselves will no longer debase their own cause by barbaric acts of terrorism.” Rabbi Hertzberg also stated that Syria, in addition to disengaging her troops and cease fighting, must also stop the terrorists from using her territory to launch their missions of murder and destruction.

SYRIAN JEWS SEE RAY OF HOPE IN ACCORD

In Damascus, spokesmen for the beleaguered Jewish community saw a small ray of hope that disengagement may presage the lifting of restrictions imposed on Syrian Jewry, according to news reports reaching here. Syrian Jews are reportedly hopeful that if peace is established with Israel, their own government might stop treating them as suspected sympathizers with an enemy power. Several Jewish shopkeepers in Damascus were reported as saying that they knew that Kissinger had taken up the situation of Syrian Jews with President Hafez Assad and expressed hope that disengagement might lead to a lifting of the restrictions under which Syrian Jews are forced to live.

WALDHEIM ASSESSES DISENGAGEMENT

United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim hailed the Israeli-Syrian disengagement agreement last night as “a most valuable step forward” but cautioned that the “main question” of an overall political solution in the Middle East is “still ahead of us.” Waldheim’s remarks which followed announcement of the agreement in Washington, Jerusalem and Damascus reflected the reaction in other world capitals today which tempered optimism with caution and generally contained fulsome praise for the achievements of Kissinger. Waldheim said that “this new agreement constitutes a further important contribution to peace in the Middle East, as was the Egyptian-Israeli disengagement agreement before it.”