Sephardi Group Condemns Syrian Gov’t. for Murder of Four Jewish Women

The American Sephardi Federation has condemned the Syrian government for the murder of four Jewish women in Damascus. Their bodies were found March 8 on a street in the Jewish quarter. Urging the free world and men of goodwill everywhere not to remain silent about this murder, Haim Eliachar, chairman of the board of ASF, declared:

We condemn the Syrian government for their inexcusable barbarism against helpless Jewish ‘citizens’ of Syria who are neither permitted to live and work as Syrians; nor to leave. The unconscionable imprisonment and murder of women makes their action more than a crime against a people; it is a crime against the world.” There are more than 150.000 Sephardic Jews in the United States. Many of them are refugees from Arab lands. There are 4000 Jews trapped in Syria and not allowed to leave, said Eliachar.

Eliachar also declared that any disengagement talks between Israel and Syria under U.S. auspices must include provision for the freedom of the Jews of Syria. He added that pressure must be placed upon the Syrian government to “cease the abuse of Jews and allow them the right to emigrate” under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and urged passage in Congress of the House Resolution 7272 “For the Relief of Certain Distressed Aliens.” which calls for the U.S. to grant 60,000 special visas for Jews from all Arab lands.

The four Jewish women who were murdered were identified last Thursday by the Israeli Consulate (not the Israeli UN Mission as reported in Friday’s Daily News Bulletin) were the three Zeybak sisters–Toni, 22, Laura, 23, and Farah, 24, and Eva Saad. (According to a report today from Jerusalem, the four had been raped and tortured to death.)