Rosen Urges World Jewry Not to Aid Soviet Jewish Dropouts; Meeting with Moscow Jewish Leaders Still

Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen of Rumania has urged world Jewry to stop extending financial help to Jews who leave the Soviet Union with Israeli visas but go to countries other than Israel. Rosen stated his position on the “dropout” issue at the closing session of the World Jewish Congress European Executive meeting here yesterday. He also appealed to the WJC to implement the recent decision of its governing board in Geneva to authorize “exploratory talks” with the official Jewish community in Moscow.

Rosen decried the dropouts who, he claimed, were endangering the future of Jewish emigration from the USSR. He said it has taken world Jewry long enough to convince the Soviet authorities that Jewish emigration “is not a political scheme to take Jews out of the Socialist camp into the Western world but a deep desire by Jews to live in a Jewish State.” The dropouts belie this claim.” he said.

On the issue of Moscow Jews, Rosen appeared to differ with observers attending the WJC Executive meeting from East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. They had appealed to the other participants not to take any action that might jeopardize future collaboration between the East European Jewish community and the WJC.

Rosen said the WJC should not abandon 3 1/2 million Jews in the USSR without exploring all possibilities for a dialogue with them. He urged that WJC president Dr. Nahum Goldmann proceed with his efforts to make contact with the Moscow Jewish leaders as authorized at Geneva.

WJC sources said today that Goldmann has invited Moscow Jewish community leaders to meet with him in Paris. They said no reply has been received yet but indications are that the meeting will take place. The WJC plans to follow this preliminary exploratory meeting with the dispatch of a small fact-finding mission to the Soviet Union to attempt to meet with representatives of the Jewish community in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Odessa. The sources said that the WJC Executive would study the results of this mission to determine whether there is a chance to establish fruitful contacts with Soviet Jewish representatives.

MADRID MEETING MILESTONE DESPITE SNUB

Goldmann, who left Madrid yesterday, said in Paris today that cancellation of the audience with King Juan Carlos 1 was not likely to slow down progress toward the establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel. “Relations could begin at any time after the Spanish elections and referendum next year.” Goldmann said.

He had expected to head a delegation of WJC leaders to the Royal Palace in Madrid this morning to be received by the King. But the WJC Executive announced last night that it had withdrawn its request for the audience after it became apparent that the Spanish government would cancel it as a result of Arab pressure.

Goldmann explained today that “Libyan Premier Abdel Salam Jelloud was visiting Spain and the Arab embassies put pressure on the Spanish government to get the audience with the King cancelled,” But, Goldmann added, despite this setback, the WJC Executive meeting in Madrid represented an historic “milestone” inasmuch as it was the first international Jewish gathering to be held in Spain since the inquisition and expulsion of Jews in 1492. (See related story from Israel.)