Polish Solidarity trade union leader Lech Walesa has thanked former Knesset member Shmuel Flatto-Sharon for an invitation to attend Christmas mass in Bethlehem and stay with him at his Savyon home.
But the Polish leader, recently released from 11 months of internment, said he could not come this year but might take up the invitation at another time. “I sincerely believe that it will be possible one day, and with your permission I may be able to take advantage of your invitation at a later time. Unfortunately, the situation in Poland is not yet sufficiently clear and it is my duty to remain here. But I can assure you that I will be attending the Bethlehem mass in spirit,” he wrote.
Flatto-Sharon, a Polish Jew who lived for many years in Paris before fleeing to Israel to escape trial for economic crimes he was charged with, said he sent an emissary to Poland some time ago and received a verbal assent to his verbal invitation. But the letter declining the offer, dated November 21 from Gdansk, was received this week.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
