Judy Silver Shapiro, the social worker from Cincinnati, and Gavriel Shapiro, the Jewish engineer activist she married in Moscow last June, are believed to have separated, according to reports here today. The couple who came to Israel in Oct. after a reunion in Vienna, disappeared from the Beit Giora immigrant absorption center in Jerusalem. Jewish Agency officials said they had no idea where they were or whether they were living together.
Israeli newspapers published a United Press international story this morning claiming that the Shapiros have broken up. One newspaper quoted a Jewish Agency official as saying that they were no longer living together. Other Agency officials refused to comment on the report. “We not handle the private or matrimonial affairs of our immigrants,” one official told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today.
Israeli sources said today that the story of their break-up was probably genuine. They said the couple quarreled publicly in Vienna when Judy wanted to return to the U.S. and Gavriel insisted on leaving at once for Israel. They quarreled again in front of reporters at Lod Airport, the sources said. They described Judy as “bossy” and Gavriel as “quiet but firm.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
