Qe2 Receives Tumultuous Welcome

The 65,800 ton Queen Elizabeth 2, the world’s second largest passenger liner, received a tumultuous welcome yesterday as she steamed into Ashdod. Israel’s newest deep water port, with 620 passengers on a Passover cruise to Israel.

The threats of Arab terrorist action against the giant liner and the extraordinary security measures taken before and during the voyage appeared to be forgotten as thousands of spectators cheered on the dock, brass bands played, ships’ whistles blasted and Ashdod’s fire boat shot streams of water into the air. The huge Cunarder sailed from Southampton, England last Sunday.

One of the passengers quipped, as he disembarked, that security was so tight during the trip that it almost, but not quite, prevented youngsters from stealing the afikomen during the seder held aboard Monday night. Israeli security services took over responsibility for the safety of the liner during the week she will remain in Israeli waters as a hotel for her passengers while they tour the country.

The ship’s arrival was marred, however, by bitter complaints from Religious Affairs Minister Zerach Warhaftig and Israel’s two Chief Rabbis, Shlomo Goren and Ovadia Yosef that she was allowed to dock and disembark her passengers on the Sabbath. Warhaftig telegraphed Tourism Minister Moshe Kol and Transport Minister Shimon Peres on Friday urging them to have the docking postponed until after sundown or at least to force the passengers to remain aboard until then.

Peres was at Ashdod yesterday to welcome the liner in his official capacity and to greet his wife and children who embarked at Lisbon. He told reporters, “we must respect the Sabbath of course, but nowadays ships or planes coming on Saturday should be allowed in. This is a modern country.”

State Department sources refused to comment Friday on reports that the Soviet Union has shipped 40 MIG fighter planes, including 30 advanced MIG-2Is, to Syria since January. The reports were originated by Pentagon sources. U.S. experts were reported to be doubtful that the Syrians had the technical ability to maintain and use the Soviet fighter planes or that the Syrian Air Force could present a serious threat to Israel’s potent Air Force.

The American Jewish Congress learned in a telephone call to a leading Soviet Jewish activist in Moscow that Marina Tiemkin is in a Komsomol (Communist Party) children’s camp in Tuapse in Caucasia and that her father–Alexander–who has been attempting to emigrate with his 14-year-old daughter to Israel over the objections of the mother from whom he is divorced–has been forbidden to travel outside of Moscow. This effectively bars Temkin from visiting his daughter, the AJ Congress said.

The United Jewish Appeal has scheduled a telethon to major contributors around the country on Wednesday as an impetus for its current nationwide Call-for-Cash, Paul Zuckerman, UJA general chairman announced.