Nationwide Preparations in High Gear for Solidarity Day for Soviet Jewry

Jewish community organizations, synagogues and action groups across the nation are mobilizing manpower and resources for National Solidarity Day for Soviet Jewry next Sunday. The event, which promises to be the most unified, massive and extensive undertaking of its kind, will focus on urging President Nixon to utilize his forthcoming visit to Moscow to help Soviet Jewry achieve the right to live as Jews and to emigrate to Israel and elsewhere. April 30. has been designated as National Solidarity Day for Soviet Jewry by the American Conference on Soviet Jewry. For this date, rallies are planned in over 100 cities across the country, aimed at obtaining some 1,00,000 signatures on petitions endorsing action to free Soviet Jews.

Preparations for Solidarity Day have moved into high gear in the past several days. A petition to Nixon to raise the Soviet Jewry issue with the Kremlin leaders has been signed by all 207 members of both houses of the New York State Legislature, reported the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry. The petition was drafted by Senator Norman J. Levy and Assemblyman Milton Jonas, both of Nassau.

Rabbi Gilbert Klaperman, New York Conference chairman, accepted the petition with the observation that “this issue cuts across political and personal differences.” Stressing that “the freedom of more than three million Jews is at stake,” he said “we hope and pray that President Nixon will raise this issue with Soviet leaders.”

OBLIGATION TO SHARE IN THE STRUGGLE

In Los Angeles, the Southern California Council for Soviet Jews and the California Students for Soviet Jews announced that thousands of telegrams circulated by the two groups have been sent to Nixon urging him to “speak on behalf of Soviet Jews” during his summit meeting with Soviet leaders.

Also in Los Angeles, the Commission on Soviet Jewry of the Jewish Federation-Council reported it has collected 50,000 similar petitions to Nixon. It will hold a rally April 30 at Temple Israel to gather 50,000 more signatures and to place telephone calls to Soviet Jews.

In San Francisco, the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews noted the reported assertion by Soviet Communist Party chief Leonid Brezhnev that Nixon will be welcome to visit anywhere and anyone in the USSR. The Union asked Nixon by telegram to meet with four Jewish scientist-activists–Roman Rutman, Aleksander Lerner, Viktor Polski and Vladimir Slepak–all of whom have lost their jobs after applying for emigration.

Paul Zuckerman. United Jewish Appeal general chairman, declared: “As Jews of the free world, it is not only our tradition but our obligation to share in the struggle of our brothers from the Soviet Union at this moment in history. Just as we stand together on Solidarity Day to raise our voices for their freedom, we must also make certain that the funds are made available for their quick assimilation into the mainstream of Israeli society.” In connection with the national observance, the UJA has arranged for a number of recent Russian immigrants to speak in communities holding special events as part of Solidarity Day.

MAJOR CAMPAIGN TO COLLECT SIGNATURES

Boris Kochubievsky and Irina Markish, two Soviet Jews who won world acclaim for their successful struggle to leave the USSR and emigrate to Israel, are scheduled to arrive in New York this afternoon to begin their three-week nationwide tour. Next Sunday they will participate in the Solidarity Day march and rally at the United Nations. That evening they will head a mass freedom rally for Soviet Jews at Hunter College. On May 1 they will head another freedom rally at the Yeshiva of Flatbush High School in Brooklyn. Kochubievsky was the first Soviet Jew to demonstrate for his freedom in 1967 at the time of the Six-Day War. Mrs. Markish is the daughter-in-law of the famed Jewish author, Peretz Markish, who was executed by the Soviet government in 1952.

In Chicago, the Jewish community will hold a mass meeting next Sunday at the Civic Opera House. The event is being sponsored by the Public Affairs Committee of the Jewish United Fund with the cooperation of the Committee on Soviet Jewry of the community Council of Jewish Organizations. Philip M. Klutznick, chairman of the JUF Public Affairs Committee, announced that the Chicago National Solidarity Day observance will culminate a major campaign to collect signatures on petitions which will be presented to President Nixon on May 3.

Tens of thousands of petitions have been circulated throughout the Chicago area by the American Jewish Congress as part of the national campaign to solicit one million signatures. A weekend of prayer has been designated for April 28 through April 30th with the cooperation of the Chicago Conference on Religion and Race, as an expression of support of Jews and other oppressed minorities in Soviet Russia.