Friday, August 9, 1951 — THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS-

Purely Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

'The Vilna of the American Continent'

MONTREAL — Vilna. the capital. of Lithuania. became
famous under the title of '•Yerushalayim d•Lita - — the
"Jerusalem of Lithuania - — because it was a great center
of learning: because it was the home of the great and saintly
Vilna Gaon and because it produced inspired Jewish leaders.
Anything matching the spirit of Vilna is therefore considered
on a high plane of constructive Jewish efforts.
Having been labeled the Vilna of the American continent,"
the great Jewish_ community of Montreal is worthy of study. •
Its population of 100,000 is the center of special interest because
of its schools, its headquarters for Canada's central Jewish
organizations. its multi-lingualism.
Separate and special reference should be g iven to the
central body governing the affairs of Canadian Jewry—the
Canadian Jewish Congress. It is an unique organization that
has rightfully earned the respect and admiration of world
Jewry. But we are concerned at the outset with the cultural
aspects of this community.
American Jews who propagate the establishment of Jewish
Day Schools are undoubtedly guided by the Jewish school
system in Canada—especially in Montreal. More than 3,000
Jewish boys and girls attend the all-day Jewish elementary
school system. This is where they become multi-lingual. Like
their fellow Canadians who are either Catholics or Protestants
—m this community which is about 67 per cent French-
Catholic—they learn both French and English. As participants
In a Jewish educational program, they also learn Hebrew and
Yiddish.
The other Jewish children who attend the Protestant day
schools. also learn Hebrew and some Yiddish. in the afternoon
and week-end' congregational. schools. It is no wonder,
therefore, that Jews generally know at least four languages
here. Some. of course. know other tongues. There are immi-
grants, and children of immigrants, from Russia, Poland.
Hungary, Germany. Austria. Italy and other lands.
In a general sense. and from many Jewish standpoints.
this community has earned the Vilna appellation.
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Hebrew in All Bell Telephone Announcements

Yiddish is nOt alone in its glory in the Province of Quebec.
Hebrew has an honored place here.
In this interesting community, the Bell Telephone Com-
pany's instructions. directing telephone users on how to
connect with information. long distance or the operator. are
publicized in eight languages—Dutch, Hungarian, German.
Italian, Polish, Spanish. Ukrainian—AND HEBREW.
Where else is this duplicated?

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11

The Tax Supported School Systems

Why do the Jewish children go to the Protestant schools?
An explanation of the educational . systems in Quebec will
clarify the issue and will provide the answer to this question.
All children in Canada attend tax-supported non-sectarian
public schools. The Province of Quebec is an exception to the
rie are Catholic and Protestant tax-supported
rule. In
Quebec thA
e Jews pay their taxes to the Protestant
school
systems.
School Boards, and are therefore entitled to send their children
1.4) the Protestant schools in the province. The vast majority of
them do that.
WE are informed by the brilliant statistician of the
Canadian Jewish Congress. Louis Rosenberg, that there are
30,000 Jewish children of elementary school age in Canada:
that 25,000 of them attend tax-supported public schools and
4,500 are in the Jewish day schools which are maintained by
Jewish communities and congregations. It is in these schools,
which have classes from pre-kindergarten through high school,
where the children learn French, English. Hebrew and Yiddish,
and all related subjects to Jewish and related studies.
There are Jewish Day Schools in Montreal. Winnipeg,
Toronto. Calgary and Edmonton. These day schools are
financed by special campaigns—Montreal being burdened by
at least three separate campaigns by the three differing
communal groupings.
Rosenberg informs us that 60 per cent of all Jewish boys
and 40 per cent of all Jewish girls receive some form of
formal Jewish education.
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The Status of Yiddish in Canada

It is safe to assume that Yiddish is more securely
entrenched in Canada than anywhere else on the globe.
In 1931, 95.2 per cent of Canada's Jews claimed Yiddish
as their mother tongue. This figure dropped to 77.3 per cent
in 1941 and to 50.6 in 1951. In the latter year, 96.6 per cent
spoke English and an additional 15.5 per cent, mostly in the
province of Quebec, also spoke French.
But the overwhelming majority or Jews in Canada know
Yiddish. They retain an interest in the language and its
literature.
SeVeral tests of the strength of the language are avail-
able. While U.S. Jewry, numbering 5,500,000, now has only
two Yiddish dailies, Canadian Jewry, numbering 242,000,
also has two Yiddish dailies.
There are more frequent Yiddish cultural gatherings in
Montreal than in either Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Detroit or Cleveland. to use five American cities as examples
for comparisons.
The best example of Montreal's cultural Jewish plural-
ism is its splendid Jewish library, an attractive building
with large collections of Judaica and Hebraica, with pro-
visions for research and study rooms, a lecture-film-theater
auditorium and a developing -department as the Jewish
Archives of Canada.
David Rome is the dedicated librarian under whose
guidance this splendid library is serving as an inspiration for
other Canadian communities to emulate Montreal's example
in constructing Jewish library buildings and in collecting
books and documents for Jewish readers and students.

Israel Intelligence Chief Exposes Terrorist
Activities of Underground `Sarafand" Group

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
ice lacked legalistic evidence quest was rejected by the Pre-
to The Jewish News)
for such arrests, but the re-! mier, the official testified.
TEL AVIV — The chief of
■••■.■■■• ■•■111■•• ■■■ ••••• ■ ••••■••■•••■•3.1■1114.■=lamaNIMMI.MOW.
Israel's. intelligence service, ira■■■ •••• ■■ ••
whose name is being withheld.
Boris Smolor's
Tuesday continued his testi-
mony on the plan of under-
ground groUp "Sarafand"—an
alias for the "Fighters for an
Israeli Kingdom"—to blow up
the Soviet Embassy in Tel
...
Aviv. He said that the leaders!
of the terrorist group planned to
(Copyright. 1957.
carry out their plot imme- ,
Jewish Telegraphic Agent y, Inc.)
diately after Soviet Premier
Nikolai Bulganin sent a harsh Israel's Problems
letter of warning to Israel's
The stoppage of operations in Israel by the British oil com-
Premier David Ben-Gurion in panies is not only a moral victory for the Arabs, but will also
connection with the Sinai op- substantially increase Israel's need of American dollars . • . Few
eration.
people are aware that British oil to Israel was paid for by Ger-
As soon as the intelligence many which enjoys a favorable balance of trade with Britain.
service learned about the plot. I. . . Under an arrangement between Israel and Gemany, the
it warned known members of latter agreed to cover Israel's oil bill in Britain from reparations
the underground group, the which the German government is now paying to Israel . . . The
chief of the secret service told Arab governments have long been pressuring Germany to halt
the court Tuesday. He was reparations to Israel, including payments to Britain for Israeli
pleading against the release oil . .. . However, despite Arab threats to boycott German
under bail of Yaacov Herouti. products, and notwithstanding the fact that Germany is anxious
charged with leadership of the to expand its business interests in the Middle East, the Bonn
underground movement. The authorities refused to yield to Arab blackmail . . . What the
prosecution asserts that Her- Arabs failed to achieve with Germany, they have succeeded in
outi is the head of the terrorist • doing with Britain . . . The stoppage of oil sales by British
group that assassinated Dr. companies to Israel thus imposes on the Jewish State a new
burden of additional millions of dollars for payments for oil in
Rudolf Kastner last March.
The intelligence official also countries where Germany has no favorable balance of trade ...
testified that his organization Israel will not lack oil as a result of the anti-Israel action of
knew about underground plans the British oil companies . . . In fact, Israel has been importing
to assassinate British Foreign oil from Venezuela in addition to the supplies from the British
Secretary Selwyn Lloyd early companies . . . It may buy oil from other places. now that the
in 1956. He also said that the port of Elath, through the Gulf of Aqaba, is open to Israeli
intelligence service learned shipping . . : However. in these transactions Germany cannot
about the plans to kill Eric be of much help to Israel . . . The payments will have to be
Johnston. President Eisen- made directly by Israel and in hard-to-get American dollars ...
hower's special ambassador on With Israel's foreign exchange budget already $200,006,000 in
Middle East irrigation plans the red, the new need for dollars will come as an additional
late in 1956, when a former burden on Israel's finances . . . The oil _,Na far discovered in
underground member identi- Israel is not enough to meet even a small percentage of lsrael's
fied only as Elishvili confessed fuel needs for industry and agricultur

'Between You
and Me'

that plan.
The intelligence chief said
Elishvili said he was pre-
vented by Herouti from send-
ing a bomb-trap to the then
Prime Minister Moshe Sharett.
The police contacted all per-
sons who had been convicted
, of membership in the "Sara-
land" underground group who
were known still to be active
and warned them that all of
their plans were known, the
intelligence chief testified.
He asserted that release of
Herouti would be a public dan-
ger since he might seek to
carry out • the thwarted plot.
He also revealed that Premier
Ben-Gurion had been asked to
invoke anti-terrorist regula-
tions permitting arrests of
underground members without
court orders.
The request had been made
because the intelligence serv-

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Zionist Issues

The battle between competing factions within the Worldi
Confederation of General Zionists, which started at the end of
last month in Jerusalem, is switching to New York ... It will
be a battle between those General Zionists in America whO
believe in identification with the General Zionist Party in Israel;
and those who oppose identification . . . Each faction claims
that the other is no longer a part of the Confederation, which.
means that it an no longer expect to receive funds from the
Confederation . . The battle will, thus, involve not only
ideologies, but also finances . . . Leading the fight for "non-
affiliation" with Israeli political parties is Rose Halprin of
Hadassah . . . Her opponent is Dr. Emanuel Neumann, ZOA
president ... Both are members of the Jewish Agency executive
which votes funds for the Confederation . . . The issue which
led to the split in the Confederation will probably become the
most important in the American Zionist movement.. • . Around
the fight on "affiliation" and "non-affiliation" great activity will
be generated during the forthcoming months, with General
Zionist groups in other countries as interested onlookers . . .
I Some General Zionist parties in European countries and in Latin
America have already declared for one side or the other . . .
; However, the question of which of the sides is now in control
of the Confederation is still not clearly answered .1. . The split
is certainly a boost to the newly-formed Ameican Jewish-
League for Israel which was formed on the principle of non-
; affiliation with any political gr p in Israel.

for a Jewish Archives includes valuable documents. rare books and valuable photographs.
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Able Direction and Demography

The Canadian Jewish Congress' ably conducted functions are under the direction of a very
able official, its national director, Saul Hayes. A lawyer by profession, he now is considered One
of the outstanding Jewish communal officials in the world. During the 17 years of his association
with the CJC, he has helped to elevate its stand ards, to strengthen its cultural-political-social
welfare functions and to cause CJC's activities t o click with marvelous efficiency.
The able president of the CJC is the world famous head of the Seagram corporation, Samuel
Bronfman. .
A former educational director of the Detroit Jewish Community Center and a former
Conservative Rabbi, Lavy Becker, plays a vital role in CJC as one of its vice-presidents. Be
is now a prominent Montreal industrialist—the firm he heads with his two brothers manufac-
tures mail boxes for the Canadian post office, commercial sewing machines and other articles,
and has perfected a time card punching machine.
Lavy Becker heads several important committees, and is principally responsible for having
improved the Teachers' Seminar curricula.
One of the most interesting Canadian Jewish personalities is Louis Rosenberg, the CJC's
brilliant statistician. Much can and will be said about him. He must be considered as Jewry's
outstanding demographer. The statistical reccrds he has compiled for CJC provide us with
the best information available about any Jewish community in the world.
This is a mere introduction to the story tc be told about our interesting neighbors. Cana-
, dian Jewry is a proud and creative element and has rendered great services to our people. We
must reserve for another date a more complete narration of its status, functions and future
aspects.

•

The manuscripts and the library of the late Reuben
akin are part of the Montreal Jewish Library. Its nucleus

Louis Rosenberg

Samuel Rronfma•

Saul

Hayes

Lavy

Becker

