Baroness Bethsabee de Rothschild has cabled President Nixon in Moscow to intervene personally for the immediate release of the Soviet Jewish dancer Valeri Panov. Other personalities and artists organizations cabled Soviet leaders as well as internationally known artists to take up the matter of Panov’s arrest.
Bethsabee de Rothschild, a founder of the Batsheva Dance Company of Israel, had announced earlier in a cable to Panov that he and his wife would be accepted by the group when arriving here. Panov was reportedly arrested Friday when a policeman came to his home and asked him to accompany him to a police station for a “short inquiry.”
When Panov did not return till nightfall, his wife, also a dancer, telephoned the police and was told Panov was under arrest on charges of “hooliganistic outburst” in which he was alleged to have assaulted a man. Panov and his wife were ousted from the famous Leningrad Krov Dance Group after they asked permission to go to Israel. In telephone conversation with Israel – there were difficulties in establishing calls from Israel to Moscow and Leningrad Jews – there seems to be a feeling that Panov was arrested as a preventive measure prior to Nixon’s visit to Leningrad on Saturday.
Meanwhile, there were more reports of arrests in the Soviet Union. It seems 18 Jews were arrested since Nixon’s visit. Among others, Leonid Zvilishinsky was arrested in Sverdlovsk and Gregory Berman and Yuri Buch were arrested in Odessa. The last two were reportedly charged with noncompliance with army call orders.
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