A Black Congressman from Ohio has come to the aid of Mrs. Judy Silver Shapiro in her efforts to be re-united with her husband, Gavriel, a Russian-Jewish activist facing trial shortly in Moscow. Rep. Louis Stokes, a Democrat, appealed to President Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers to “exert the necessary diplomatic pressure” on the Soviet Union to allow Shapiro to emigrate, it was disclosed here today.
In a letter sent Friday, Rep. Stokes, a brother of former Mayor Carl Stokes of Cleveland, wrote “It is indeed tragic that these young people continue to be held apart. The communications bridge that was built during your visit to Moscow must certainly be broad enough to allow Mr. Shapiro to come across.”
A State Department spokesman said today that the Department has been in touch with Mrs. Shapiro and with the Soviet Embassy here in connection with the Russian visa Mrs. Shapiro seeks in order to attend her husband’s trial. He said the US Embassy in Moscow has also been in touch with the Soviet Foreign Office on the matter. “The US is particularly interested in helping separated families,” the spokesman said.
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