Glenn Richter, national coordinator of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that certain groups within the Jewish community which he did not name have threatened to take action against “US government installations” if the government does not act on behalf of Gavriel Shapiro, the Moscow Jewish activist facing trial. The groups said they would withhold action, Richter said, if the government at least insured that Shapiro’s American wife, Judy, would obtain a Russian visa to attend her husband’s trial due to begin July 26.
The National Conference on Soviet Jewry announced today that Mrs. Rita Kogan, wife of Jewish activist Mikhail Kliatchkin, has sent an appeal on behalf of her husband to Mrs. Nixon. Kliatchkin has been forced to serve two months military duty, the National Conference reported.
The SSSJ also reported that Yuri Poch, 22, and Grigory Berman, 26, both Odessa activists, were sentenced last Thursday to three years imprisonment. They were charged under Article 198 of the Soviet penal code, which deals with draft evasion.
Alexander Karnovsky of Kovno has been threatened by the KGB with “an accident or catastrophe” if he continues his protest activities, the SSSJ reported today. He was allegedly beaten and told that he deserved such treatment because he had signed a telegram sent to Israeli authorities which asked them to thank people who protest on behalf of Soviet Jews.
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.
