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Hounded for Contact with Israelis

July 21, 1976
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Sarafima Starobinitz, a Soviet Jew residing in Moscow, has been harassed and hounded by the Soviet authorities since nine months ago when she spoke to visiting Israeli athletes, Al Tidom Association sources in Moscow reported.

Miss Starobinitz, a student, attended an international sports event at the Lusniki Sports Palace in Moscow Sept. 19, 1975. After the competition, she spoke to members of the Israeli team who invited her to dine with them at the restaurant of the Hotel Rosia. Shortly afterwards, she was taken to a police station where she was beaten and accused of being a streetwalker preying on foreigners, Al Tidom reported.

Since then Miss Starobinitz has been hounded constantly by the Soviet police and subjected to numerous interrogations and other more serious harassment. The most recent move against her has been her expulsion from the institute which she attended, according to Al Tidom.

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