An Orthodox leader called on President Nixon and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin today to intercede for the release of Gavriel Shapiro so that he may re-join his American bride. Rabbi Joseph Karasick, president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, sent identical telegrams to the White House and the Kremlin. He also sent the telegram to Secretary of State William P. Rogers and to Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin in Washington.
Shapiro, a Jewish activist, has been held in jail since June 12 when he was arrested for evading military service. Four days earlier, he was wed to Judy Silver, a Cincinnati social worker in a religious ceremony at his Moscow home. Mrs. Shapiro, back in the US, has already asked President Nixon to intervene on behalf of her husband.
Rabbi Karasick’s telegram said, “On behalf of over 3 million worshippers in 3000 Orthodox synagogues throughout the US, we strongly urge immediate personal intercession for permission for Gavriel Shapiro of Moscow to join his bride, Judy, in America. Over-riding humanitarian concern demands their reunification in joy and happiness.”
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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.
