Mapam circles in this country have begun inquiries into the disappearance of Mordechai Oren, a leader of the left-wing Socialist Party, who has not been heard from in four weeks after his arrival in Prague. Oren, who was a representative to the Berlin Trade Union Conference sponsored by the Communists, is known as a supporter of the Cominform.
Although it was reported here today that Israeli legations in Eastern Europe had begun investigating the whereabouts of Oren, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said it had no information concerning the reported arrest. Mapam leader Dr. Moshe Sneh stated that the report was unfounded.
An account of Oren’s disappearance published by the newspaper Maariv said that he left Paris for Prague four weeks ago, after hearing that a cousin of his, Shimon Oren, had been arrested in Prague during a purge of the Czechoslovak Foreign Trade Ministry. Shimon Oren was formerly a deputy trade attache at the Israel legation in Prague.
Members of Kibbutz Mizra, where Oren lives, insist that his disappearance is connected with a family tragedy. Some members of the settlement assert that he will return soon.
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