Seven Soviet Scientists Denounce Israel, Deny Existence of Soviet Jewish Problem

Seven scientists from the Vavilov Optics Institute in Leningrad signed a statement which was carried in yesterday’s edition of Izvestia assailing Israel and denying that a Jewish problem exists in the Soviet Union, according to reports reaching here from Moscow. The statement in the government newspaper was similar to those issued last spring during the Soviet anti-Zionist campaign in which thousands of persons, including many Jews, denounced Israel. According to reports here, some of the signers of this latest statement are believed to be Jewish. In printing the statement by the scientists, Izvestia explained that numerous Soviet citizens expressed indignation at receiving a bulletin in their mail published by students in Tel Aviv University entitled “Israelis Reply.”

The bulletin, published by the Israeli Students of Middle East Affairs at the University, is geared toward expressing views on current Mideast developments by way of answering Arab views. Izvestia did not disclose the contents of this issue of the bulletin but contended that it contained “standard” Israeli “slander” of the Soviet Union’s support of Arabs and an attack on the Kremlin’s policy toward Soviet Jews. The letter appeared as the Soviet government is preparing a show trial against 33 Jews accused of involvement in an alleged plot to hijack a Soviet airliner last June. The show trial of nine of these Jews, which was scheduled to begin last Friday, has been postponed to Dec. 15. Many of the Jews arrested in connection with this trial were actively seeking to emigrate to Israel. Izvestia, according to reports, did not link the letter by the seven scientists to the forthcoming trials.