Ambassador Yosef Tekoah met with Secretary General Kurt Waldheim today and gave him the text of a statement Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban presented to the Knesset Sunday which confirmed the murder of five members of the Kashkosh family in Baghdad.
Tekoah discussed with Waldheim the plight of Jewish communities in Iraq, Syria and the Soviet Union and submitted the text of a Knesset resolution adopted Sunday which appealed to parliaments and international organizations to intercede with Iraqi authorities to permit the departure of Jews from Iraq.
Tekoah also gave the Secretary General a list of the names of Iraqi Jews who have been abducted or disappeared and are feared dead. They are:
Azouri Shemesh Shaul Rajwan, Yaacov Abdul Aziz, Ezra Abu Daoud, Dr. Ezra Khzam, Salim Sidka, Nagi Tzitiat, Shaul Shemesh, Ezra Shemtov, Nagi Kashkosh, Suad Kashkosh (wife of Nagi), Naim Patal, Ezra Kahtan, Salim Gahtan, Shua Uzeir.
The Ambassador also discussed with Dr. Waldheim the comprehensive report on the Middle East currently in preparation by Ambassador Gunnar V. Jarring, the Secretary General’s special envoy to the Middle East. The Jarring report will be submitted to the Security Council which will hold a general debate on the Middle East later this month.
NEWS BRIEFS
A misrouted consignment of equipment and medical supplies sent from Texas and addressed to a consignee in Tripoli; Libya, was landed at Lod Airport today. An Israeli official who spotted the Libyan address alerted security personnel who checked the parcels but found nothing of a dangerous nature. The consignment, landed by a TWA plane, has been placed in storage pending a decision on its disposal. Israeli officials are investigating how the parcels were misrouted.
The celebration of the 25th anniversary of Israel began yesterday at Place Bonaventure in Montreal in the presence of representatives of Federal and Provincial governments, and all the Jewish organizations in Montreal. Consul General David Ephreti addressed the large public gathering outlining the tremendous achievements of Israel during its first 25 years. He stressed that the cooperation of diaspora Jewry is essential to the future of Israel’s progress. Festivities featuring Israeli films, musical entertainment and a book exhibition will continue until May 7.
The opening ceremony of Israel’s 25th anniversary will be broadcast live from the Western Wall in Jerusalem via satellite on TV Channel 10-Teleprompter Manhattan Sunday from 1-1:30 p.m. (EDST). On May 10. Channel 10 will broadcast from 9-10 p.m. (EDST) a special film showing Israel’s anniversary parade and celebrations. The broadcast will be repeated May 12 from 8-9 p.m. (EDST).
Deputy Consul General in New York, Moshe Arad, called yesterday upon the International Affairs Committee of the National Council of Jewish Women to help narrow the social gap in Israel. Addressing some 30 committee members attending an Israel 25th anniversary luncheon in New York, Arad said that Israel’s main goal, after peace, is to ingather the majority of the Jewish people in the world. American Jewry, he said, has to continue with its efforts to rescue the Jews in the Soviet Union and Iraq.
The leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, David Louis, declared in Tel Aviv that his party would do its utmost to influence the Canadian government to support Israel’s stand of no retreat prior to a peace settlement.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
