THE DETROIT JEWI SH NEWS—Friday; January 23, 1959-2

Purely Commentary

By PHIL SLOMOVITZ

Mounting Problems for World Jewry

There are problems galore for Jewish communities every-
where. There is the Russian problenr and the mounting anti-
Semitism in the USSR—in spite of the vague denials by Anastas
Mikoyan. There is the increasing prejudice against Jews in Ger-
many where Nazism is showing signs of revival. We have our
local problems — in the South and wherever bigotry raises its
hoary head. Not to speak of Israel and the challenges that are
constantly hurled at the Jewish State.
Related to the troubles in Russia are the new waves of
emigration from Romania and possibly also from Hungary and
Poland. We have been pleading in behalf of Jews behind the Iron
Curtain for opportunities to be granted them to emigrate
from the danger zones in which they now live. Now that this
opportunity appears to have been granted, the financial troubles
are starting.
If. as expected, more than 80.000 Jews will enter Israel this
year. then we can expect greater pressure upon Jewry for finan-
cial support than has been experienced since the big resettlement
year of 1948. American Jews will have to meet a serious obliga-
tion. They will have to carry the burden of providing the means
with which to rehabilitate large numbers of people who will
reach Israel without means of support. and many of them will be
without preparation for a new life in a free land.
There were distressing drops in income for the United
Jewish Appeal in the past year. Unless there are marked in-
creases in contributions, the tasks ahead can not be met with the
reduced funds for the great philanthropic duties for which ,UJA
now asks priority.
This is a challenging time. The troubles are mounting, but
we who have our freedoms and who have shown our ability to
meet the challenges in the past should be well prepared to full-
fill our duties with dignity and with increased generosity.

A Monument for thil Late Frank Murphy

We join heartily with all the friends of the late Frank
Murphy in supporting the plan for a suitable monument to be
established here.
• Few of the men in public life are able to match the genius
of our late Mayor, Governor, U.S. Attorney General and Supreme
Court Justice. He, had risen to great heights whenever he was
called upon to assist the needy here and to raise his voice in
defense of the oppressed, whenever they may have been harassed.
He was a friend of Israel and he was in the front ranks of liber-
tarian forces.
It is encouraging to know that the UAW and our city officials
are making serious plans for the deserved honors for this great
American.

The Word 'Jew' on the Russian Passport

Why is the term "Jew" inscribed on Russian passports granted
to Jewish USSR citizens? In his "Main Street, U. S. S. R.," pub-
lished by Doubleday, Irving R. Levine, NBC's Moscow corres-
pondent. explains: "Jews are considered a nationality, and their
passports are inscribed with the word, Jew. Any ethnic group
with common traits, customs, language is considered a nation-
ality."
When the Germans compelled Jews to wear the yellow
badge, it was part of the Nazi scheme to isolate and later to
exterminate the Jews. In spite of the generalization in their
interpretation of the term nationality, the Russians may not be
too far removed from Nazi ideology in inscribing the word
"Jew" on a passport held by Jews. If anything akin to such
action were attempted in this country, it would be the begin-
ning of the end of our freedoms as American citizens.
Russia calls Jews a nationality, but denies them the right
to pubpsh a Jewish newspaper, or to study Hebrew. In his
otherwise very interesting — and exceptionally well written —
book, Irving Levine devotes much-too-little space to the position
of the '2,500,000 Jews who remain in the USSR. He does indicate
that very little is left of Jewish life in Russia and he states:
"Although anti-Semitism is forbidden by Soviet law it is
practiced, as are other forms of racial and religious discrimina-
tion. A Russian woman in Alma Ata. capital of Kazakhstan,
confided in me: 'We Russians consider these Asians to be below
us. No self-respecting Russian would intermarry with them.' It
is known that institutions of higher learning in the U. S. S. R.
have 'quotas' on the number of Jews admitted. Institutes that
train people for the Soviet diplomatic service are closed to Jews
as are high posts in the military service."
Wherein does Communist Russia differ from Czarist Russia?
Is it in the fact that there are no governmental-inspired mass
pogroms? But there is a continuing spiritual pogrom against
,Jewry, and the Soviet leaders are its perpetrators.
Irving Levine has written a very good book. It is replete
with excellent stories. He tells them well, and he throws much
light on American-Soviet relations. It is interesting to note that
he believes "time may be on the side of the democratic West
in eventually shaping a Russia that is more moderate, more
reasonable, more amenable to living and letting live."
If the author of "Main Street, U. S. S. R." had delved more
into the Jewish question, he would have added vitally needed
information about a very small minority that is retained as a
scapegoat by the dictators in power in that vast country. He could
have revealed an interesting aspect of Russian anti-Semitism
if he had presented the facts that are seeping out from there
—that there is a decline in intermarriage among- Russian Jews:
not because Jews are beoming more "clannish," as is often
charged. but because Russians are beginning to refuse to marry
Jews. This is implied in. the quotation, above, from the state-
ment to Levine by the woman from Alma.
Levine's book is another godsend for book-reviewers. It'll
be a heyday for them, since they'll be able to quote so many
charming stories. For instance: there is the story about the
Moscow professor who spoke of a future when passengers will
be carried to the planets of the universe on space ships.
"We will be able to travel to Mars, to Pluto, to Venus,"
concluded the professor. "Are there any questions?"
A student in the back of the hall raised his hand. "When,"
he asked, "can we travel to Vienna?"
There are scores of such good stories, and Levine tells
them well and relates them admirably to the thesis of his ably
compiled experiences in the Soviet Union.

Claims Conference Allocates $10,100,785
.Assistance Funds to Jews in 30 Countries

failed to this very day to re-
NEW YORK, (JTA) — The 1954.
ceive the compensation pay-
sum of $10,100,785 was allocated
Nearly two million indem-
ments due them," Dr. Goldmann
to Jewish communities, organ- nification claims of victims of
stated.
izations and institutions in 30
Nazi persecution in all parts
Dr. Goldmann announced that
countries throughout the world
of the world are still pending
he will shortly proceed to Bonn
by the board of directors of the
against the German Federal
for discussions with Chancellor
Conference on Jewish Material Republic, it was announced
Claims Against Germany, at the
by the board of directors of Adenauer and ranking German
officials to discuss specific steps
close of its annual meeting held
the Conference on Jewish
for speeding up the flow of in-
here.
Material Claims.
demnification payments. On the
The Claims Conference, by favorable side, Dr. Goldmann
• The allocation represented
funds available for distribution formal resolution, appealed di- expressed satisfaction that de-
this year, and raised to more rectly to Chancellor Adenauer liveries of goods, materials and
than $60,000,600 the total sum of the German Federal Republic services, under the terms of the
granted by the Conference since 1 to speed up the lagging pace Bonn-Israel repaiation pact of
1956, it was announced by Jacob of indemnification payments to 1952, to which the Conference
Blaustein, of Baltimore, senior Nazi victims and their families. is a party were continuing to
vice - president of the Claims At the same time, Dr. Nahum move at a smooth and even
Conference, who, in presenting Goldmann, president of the
pace.
the 1959 budget stated that it Claims Conference, presented a
A total of $391,666,667 in
contained two major compo- report on the state of the in-
capital goods, materials and
nents: $7,911,811 to go in aid demnification program for in-
services were delivered to
of relief. rehabilitation and re- dividual Nazi victims, which was
settlement projects and $1,773,- a primary responsibility as- Israel from Germany since
payments started on June 30,
974 for cultural and educational signed to the Conference under
1953. Of that sum, $65,476,190
reconstruction. the agreement it reached with
in goods and services were
The Claims Conference, made the Bonn Government in 1952.
provided in 1958, he reported.
up of 23 national and world-"Claims pending at German
In addition, advance orders
wide Jewish organizations. ob- i indemnification offices have for capital goods, including
tains the funds it allocates grown by a half a million in
ships and heavy equipment
under the special agreement It the past nine months," Dr.
scheduled for delivery over
Goldmann
stated.
reached with the German Fed-
the next four years have
Payments to individual Nazi
eral Government in 1952, by
reached $83,000,000.
victims
from
the
German
Fed-
which $107,000,000 is being
The former I. G. Farben Trust
$1,242,-
eral
Republic
reached
turned over to the Conference,
has provided a fund of $7,142,-
by
Sept.
30,
all
told,
000,000,
over a span of 12 years, for the
000 for distribution among the
benefit of needy Nazi victims 1958. That sum represents, surviving Jewish slave laborers
nevertheless,
a
mere
fraction
throughout the world.
of the losses inflicted by Nazi at Auschwitz, who were com-
Blaustein pointed out that persecution and the value of the pelled to toil at its nearby
"more than 400 Jewish organiza- claims submitted. "The great synthetic rubber factory, during
tions have applied for grants majority of Nazi victims have the war.
exceeding $30,000,000, all told,
three times the sum available
for allocation," he stated. He
Boris Srnolar's
announced that $7,911,811, al- I
most four-fifths of the entire
budget for 1959, was designed
for relief and rehabilitation pro- I
grams expected to provide 150,-
000 needy Nazi victims with aid. I
Copyright. 1959,
The funds will be spent,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
in Europe principally, by Jew-
ish communal and central
Urgent Action:
welfare agencies and by the
Don't be surprised if the Romanian Ambassador in Wash-
American Joint Distribution
ington appears at Jewish conferences in this country to appeal
Committee. Funds will also be
for funds to help the emigration of Jews from East European
used to aid in the imigration
countries .. . This emigration is assuming such unprecedented
of Nazi victims from Europe
proportions that all major Jewish organizations in the United
and for their resettlement,
States have decided to issue a joint call for an urgent UJA
especially in Australia and
conference to be held on Feb. 15 . . Unprecedented funds
Latin America.
will be needed to cope with the flood of emigrants from East
Allocations of $1,773.974 for European countries streaming to Israel, and the UJA will
Jewish cultural and educational have to revise the quota for this year set only a few weeks
reconstruction will go to aid of ago at its national conference in New York . . . At present,
six major programs, Blaustein six nights a week, trains reach Vienna full of Jewish emigrants
said. They include education, who are permitted to leave East European lands — not Soviet
research and publication, sal- Russia — and proceed to Israel . . . The JDC and the Israel
vage of cultural treasures, up- Legation in Vienna have organized a corps of porters to handle
keep of rabbinical schools. their luggage and to feed them while they await transfer to
programs for individual scholar- trains or planes heading for Israel . . . None are permitted to
ships and fellowships, and the take money out of the countries where they lived . . . They can
documentation and commem- take only 154 pounds of baggage for men and 88 pounds for
oration of the era of Nazi per- women . . . All other possessions must be left behind . . . Arriv-
secution. The programs are ing in Israel, they must start new lives from scratch, and must
addressed to the reconstruction be assisted by the Jewish Agency which welcomes them with
of Jewish institutions and of open arms . . . The burden of assisting such a flood of new
spiritual and cultural centers immigrants is complicating the financial difficulties of the Jew-
ravaged by the Nazis, and for ish Agency, which had problems even before the stream of im-
the rehabitation of Nazi victims migrants from Eastern Europe started . . . Unlike the imimgrants
who are scholars, writers and from the Oriental countries, the newcomers cannot be sent to
teachers.
Maabarot and must be settled in prepared houses and helped
Over $700,000, the greatest until they adjust to conditions of life in Israel . . . Most
single sum for cultural recon- of them are able eventually to make a living for themselves
struction will go in aid of Jew- as professionals, artisans and skilled workers , . . In the
ish education. More than one- meantime, however, millions and millions of dollars are
half of the sum is ear-marked urgently needed to settle them and to give them a start
for the construction, repair and . . . To secure these millions of dollars is a "headache Number
equipment of 27 schools in nine One" for the UJA, upon whose efforts the Jewish Agency
countries, the great majority in depends . . .
•
•
•
Europe.
In all the categories of Con- Soviet Views:
Soviet Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan, whom the leaders
ference grants, Blaustein
pointed out, those for capital of the American Jewish Committee met in New York in an
investment play a vital role in effort to prevent a mass transfer of Soviet Jews to Birobidjan,
the rebuilding of. Jewish com- was also approached by members of" the U.S. Senate on the
munities that suffered at the same issue . . . Some of the Senators, to whose opinion
Moscow pays special attention, have indicated to Mikoyan their
hands of the Nazis.
For 1959, grants reaching $1,- knowledge of the suppression of Jewish cultural life in the
070,000 will go for the construc- Soviet Union and asked for his views . . . They suggested that
tion, expansion, equipment and he have a private and free discussion on this subject with
repair of homes for the aged, leaders of American Jewish organizations, particularly of the
hospitals, children's and youth American Jewish Committee . . . The Soviet Deputy Premier
homes, baby clinics, summer was vague in his replies to the Senators . . . He reiterated
camps, kindergartens, schools, the same old tale which Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev
community and youth centers, tells the world — that Jews in the Soviet Union want to
religious institutions and re- assimilate and that Jewish culture is not suppressed in Biro-
lated undertakings. Those funds bidjan . . . He indicated that the Kremlin's view is that if
will increase to some $6,000,000 Soviet Jews want to maintain their Jewish culture they should
the sums allocated for capital settle in Birobidjan, but that they cannot expect any restor-
investment undertakings since ation of the Jewish cultural linstifutints,liquidated in Moscow
Conference operations began in or in any other part of Soviet Union, except in Birobidjan.

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'Between You
. and Me'

