Moshe Leshem, Israeli delegate to the United Nations, renewed before the UN’s Human Rights Commission today Israel’s complaints of “continued violation of human rights inflicted upon Jewish communities” in the Soviet Union, Iraq, Egypt and Syria. Mr. Leshem described the situation as one where “the innocent Jew in these Arab countries finds himself caught between hammer and anvil…, where he is jailed, tortured and hung, and subjected to humiliation, oppression and persecution.” The “only hope,” for these Jews he declared, “resides in being permitted to emigrate.” Until then, he said, referring specifically to Soviet Jewry, they “have no intention of submitting meekly to the attrition of their spirit.” He added that “The echoes of the historic struggle of Soviet Jewry to resist the forcible submergence of their identity, their authenticity and their right to a full national life in Israel, if they so choose, are reaching world opinion, in spite of Soviet attempts to silence these voices and to prevent the truth from reaching the outside world.”
In an hour-long speech before the UN Human Rights Commission, Soviet delegate Nikolai Tarassov bitterly attacked Israel, charging its government with conducting “an aggressive war” against the Arabs and of depriving them “even of the right to live” by bombing Cairo. He was referring to the recent destruction of a metalworks near the Egyptian capital, during which 80 Egyptians were killed and 80 injured. Israel has said the bombing of the occupied plant was unintentional. “The Soviet people condemn the barbarian acts of Israel,” Mr. Tarassov declared. He emphasized the “solidarity” of Moscow and the Arabs, and called on the Human Rights Commission to condemn Israel’s acts. The Russian refuted Israel’s charges that the Soviet government is discriminating against its Jewish citizens. He in turn charged Israel with raising “the Jewish question” in the Soviet Union for the purpose of covering itself “against its policy of terror against the Arabs.” He continued: “The defense of the Jews in the Soviet Union is not needed now. It was needed under the Czar, but under the Soviet regime Jews in the U.S.S.R. enjoy equal rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
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.
