Christians Issue ‘call to Conscience’

Representatives of Christian denominations from eight nations added their voices today to those of Jewish leaders participating in the second World Conference on Soviet Jewry in a call to the Soviet leadership to allow Soviet Jews the right of free emigration and to live up to the pledges the Soviet Union made in signing the Helsinki agreement last year especially those provisions related to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief.

Brussels II was attended by Roman Catholics. Protestants and Evangelicals from the United States, Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Israel. Their participation was coordinated by the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry of which Sister Ann Gillen, of Chicago, is executive director. A “Call to Conscience,” issued by the Christian delegates at a seminar held here in connection with Brussels II, specifically demanded that:

Soviet authorities cease the harassment and intimidation of persons seeking exit visas; the “kidnapping” of Jewish children and their removal to compulsory training schools; the conscription of Jewish young men into the Soviet armed forces as punishment for seeking exit visas; the sentencing of innocent persons on false charges; the denial of professional status and educational opportunities for Soviet Jews; the deprivation of employment for these applying for exit visas; the exorbitant taxation of gift monies sent to Soviet Jews and the “ruthless and brutal imprisonment of all Prisoners of Conscience, both Jewish and Christian.”

While the Christian group urged the Soviet Union to “give the Jews their right to leave for countries of their choice,” they also appealed for the Soviet authorities “to grant religious, cultural and educational institutions for the perpetuation of Judaism and Jewish culture” the right to function and to lift “the prohibition against publishing Hebrew Bibles and prayer-books, and the production of religious articles.” They asked the Soviet Union to permit the training of rabbis and Jewish teachers in that country and at seminaries abroad.

RIGHTS FOR JEWS WHO REMAIN

Meanwhile, at the closing session of Brussels II, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, president of the American Jewish Congress, urged Soviet authorities to allow Soviet Jews to choose their own leaders. “The demand of this conference must be for Jews and for all other religions and cultures in the USSR to be permitted to organize and to associate freely and not under the constraints of the secret police,” Rabbi Hertzberg said.

David Blumberg, president of B’nai B’rith, said spiritual survival must accompany the physical survival of Soviet Jews. They must not and cannot be deprived of the right to know their heritage, their history, their traditions and their culture, he said.

Those closing statements stressed the rights of Jews who would choose to remain in the USSR even if the Soviets permitted free emigration and were apparently intended to balance the vigorous claims for massive immigration to Israel made throughout the conference.

BALANCING TWO FACETS OF PROBLEM

Most Jewish leaders attending Brussels II said privately that the conference tried to balance the two facets of the Soviet Jewish problem–emigration and the civil, religious and cultural rights of those Jews who do not wish to emigrate. They also said that the reference to the “Land of Israel” in the final declaration had no political significance and is only a Biblical expression familiar to Jews everywhere.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned, however, that the presidium first voted down the inclusion of that expression but reversed itself at the demand of Likud leader Menachem Beigin and other militants.

The presence here of Almogi, former Premier Golda Meir, who was honorary president of the conference, and Beigin, was seen as testimony to Israel’s readiness to do its utmost to absorb the hundreds of thousands of Jews the conference hopes will eventually arrive in Israel from the USSR.