The President of the French Senate. Alain Poher, last night told American Jewish leaders, that “the time has come to mobilize American public opinion on behalf of Syrian Jewry.” Poher, chairman of the International Conference for the Rescue of Jews in Arab States, said that his 10-day U.S. visit will be devoted to the issue of Syrian Jews.
Poher, who addressed the Jewish leaders at a reception held by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said that he is undertaking this campaign because the situation of Syrian Jews has not improved since the June 1967 war, when their freedom of movement in Syria was restricted and their right to leave the country was ignored. “We are determined to obtain a change of policy on this issue from the Syrian government and to convince President Assad that it is impossible in 1976 to keep people as hostages.”
SOME HOPES FOR EMIGRATION
Poher said Monday night that he had “some hopes” that Syria’s remaining 5000 Jews will be permitted to emigrate. He said he based his hopes on a meeting he had recently with Assad, “but nothing has happened yet,” he added.
Poher. who spoke before 700 members of New York’s Syrian-Jewish community, urged them to ignore media reports that Syrian Jews did not want to leave. “let them say they don’t want to leave,” declared Poher who is not Jewish.
He said he would raise the issue of Syrian Jews when he meets with Congressmen in Washington later this week. According to Poher, his task is to convince the Syrian government that it is in its own interests to permit Jews to leave. Under international pressure, Syria will find it “impossible to remain deaf to your requests. We must do everything to liberate them,” he said.
The French leader was introduced by Rep. Stephen Solarz (D.NY), a member of the House International Relations Committee. Solarz said he was pressing for an amendment to next year’s foreign aid bill that would bar U.S. aid for countries that do not show reasonable progress in allowing free emigration. Ms. LiHane Levy Winn, president of the American Sephardi Federation, is accompanying Poher in his talks here and Washington. She also serves as his translator since he does not speak English.
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