Plans for a Swiss concert by the prominent Soviet violinist-conductor David Oistrakh and the noted American violinist-conductor Yehudi Menuhin–both of whom are Jewish– have been vetoed by the Soviet government, according to a Soviet spokesman in Berne. This is believed to be the first time the Kremlin, which has heretofore maintained a distinction between culture and politics, has made such a decision. The setting for the concert was to have been the annual music festival at Gstaad of which Mr. Menuhin is honorary president, scheduled for Aug. 13-Sept. 4. The spokesman explained that “No Soviet artist is permitted to work with or and artists of other nationalities If the latter are favorable or helpful to the Israeli aggressors.” (In New York, the American Jewish Congress termed the reported Soviet decision “ludicrous” and “an ominous development in the Soviet campaign against its own Jewish community and against Israel.” Eleazar Lipsky, chairman of the Congress’ Commission on International Affairs, added: “It is saddening enough that statesmen and military figures must approach each other with distrust on the subject of the Middle East. It Is intolerable that extraneous political circumstances must now be invoked to keep artist and performers from Joining one another in their art…We call upon performers everywhere to repudiate this latest manifestation of Soviet intransigence and insensitivity,..”)
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