Jewish sources in the Soviet Union reported today that Gavriel Shapiro, who married an American girl, Judy Silver of Cincinnati, in Moscow but was not allowed to leave the Soviet Union, has been informed his trial will start July 1. He is being charged with violation of Art. 198 of the Soviet penal code which concerns evasion of military duty. Shapiro was arrested at the Moscow airport when he saw his new bride off. He went into hiding with other Jewish activists during the Nixon visit to Moscow but emerged for his wedding on June 12. He is a reserve officer who has served his military duty. (An appeal to Mrs. Richard Nixon and Mrs. Leonid Brezhnev to intercede for Shapiro’s release was cabled by Mrs. Jacqueline Levine, president of the Women’s Division of the American Jewish Congress. Mrs. Levine also wrote to women members of the US Congress to intercede “as women and legislators” for the couple.)
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
