The rabbi of the Chilean Jewish community. Dr. Angel Kreiman, says he acted solely in an ecumenical and humanitarian spirit when he signed a petition, with clergymen of other faiths, asking the ruling military junta to grant amnesty to political prisoners, among them four persons of Jewish origin who were not identified.
Rabbi Kreiman, who along with Gil Sinay, president of the Jewish community, recently attended a private luncheon with President Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, stressed on that occasion that the Jewish community had no problems or quarrels with the regime. The petition drew sharp attacks from official quarters after it was published in newspapers here. It was signed by the Cardinal of Chile, Raul Silva Henriques, and the Lutheran Bishop, Hellmuth Frenz, in addition to Rabbi Kreiman.
The rabbi stated that his membership on the Committee for Peace in Chile and his signature on the clemency petition had no other reason but to act in accord with the other religious bodies. He said he specifically asked clemency for four persons of Jewish origin whose parents were members of the Jewish community if they were not. He said for that reason, he was obliged to show concern for their fate.
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