Still ‘Hostage’ of Soviets Despite Talk at Pre-Summit, American Stolar Says

Despite pre-summit reports from Washington that self-described “American hostage” Abe Stolar would be permitted to leave the Soviet Union, Stolar said Monday that he cannot emigrate because Soviet officials still refuse to grant an exit visa to his daughter-in-law.

Stolar, a Chicago-born resident of Moscow who has been trying to emigrate to Israel for the last 10 years, said that unless his son’s wife, Julia Tryasunova, is allowed to depart with the family, he, his wife and his son, Michael, will refuse to leave.

The office of Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) said last month that all four members of Stolar’s family were on a State Department list of people who would be allowed to emigrate to the United States. The list also included seven Soviet spouses of Americans who had been denied permission to leave the Soviet Union.

Latest Rejection

But Stolar said he was told last Friday by I.A. Karakulko, deputy chief of the visa office, that nothing has changed in his case since he was told last March to leave without his daughter-in-law.

His son was married to Julia Tryasunova by an American rabbi in a private ceremony in Stolar’s apartment after Soviet officials repeatedly refused to grant permission for a civil marriage, Stolar said. The Soviet authorities still refuse to recognize the marriage and have denied her a visa on that basis.

“Since the Soviets have always known that we refuse to break up our family--and exclude hope of ever reuniting--the current ‘permission’ to leave is a cruel hoax,” Stolar said.

‘American Hostage Family’

“Our problem is not so much one of human rights as it is a fight to free an American hostage family,” he added.

Stolar came to the Soviet Union in 1931 with his parents. He tried to emigrate to Israel in 1975, received a visa for himself, his wife and his son, but then the family was stopped at the airport and prevented from leaving.

Officials said then there was a question about his wife’s visa, Stolar said, but now that is no longer in question and the only issue is whether his son’s wife will be permitted to leave.