HE JEWISH NEWS
Hias Marks
Anniversary
Vigilance
in Fight on
Bigotry
Editorials
Page 4
A Weekly Review
of Jewish Events
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle
')VOLUME XXXIV—No. 26
ior a .;!nt giogi st%p 17100 W.77 Mile Rd.--VE 8-9364—Detroit 35, February 27, 1959
'Solomon and
Sheba,' Fine
New Novel .. .
Glubb Pasha's
Bias Repeated.
. . . Echo of the
Civil War.
Commentary
Page 2
$5 Per Year; Single Copy 15c
Jewish Emigrants Face Crisis
Romania Reportedly Separates
Departing Families, Prevents
Travelers from Leaving Trains
Izrestia Denies USSR Will Facilitate Emigration of Jeers
Crises of unprecedented dimensions, which may en-
danger the very basis of Jewish emigration efforts to Israel
in behalf of the tens of thousands of Jews who were promised
exit visas from Romania, clouded the horizon during the
past few days.
Cabled reports from Vienna to The Jewish News, from
Boris Smolar, editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, who
is currently covering the Romanian emigration situation,
indicate that obstacles have been placed in the path of the
emigrants by Romanian authorities.
The new developments, which threaten to negate the
Romanian decisions to permit the exit of those of her citizens
who desire to go to Israel, came simultaneously with a report
from Moscow that the Soviet government will not permit the
emigration of Jews in order not to alienate the friendship
of the Arabs who are opposed to a new influx of Jewish
immigrants into Israel.
The question therefore is posed whether Romania's new
attitude is a result of pressures from the Kremlin.
Assertions, made frequently in recent months by both
Israel's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and by Dr. Nahum
Who Is a Jew' Identity
Card Agreement Reported
-
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—A major point in the dis-
pute over "who is a Jew?" which shattered the Gov-
ernment coalition unity last Summer seemed resolved
Tuesday with an agreement between Minister of Re-
ligions Yaakov Moshe Toledano and Minister of the
Interior Israel Bar Yehuda.
Under' the new agreement, all Israeli identity
cards will state the religion of the father and of the
mother of the minor bearer without actually stating
his own. When he reaches the age of 16 and applies
for his own card, his religion will be established by
examination of the facts in the case. The rabbinate
is expected to welcome this solution.
India's Failure to Support
Israel Condemned by Hindu
NEW DELHI, (JTA)—India's policy of coolness
toward Israel and warm collaboration with the United
Arab Republic was condemned sharply by Prof. Ram
Singh, president of the powerful All-India Hindu
Mahasabha.
Delivering his presidential address Monday at
Benares, where the Mahasabha opened its 45th annual
convention, Dr. Singh stated:
"Extension of support to the UAR as against
Great Britain was an act of extreme foolishness. Our
Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, should know that
a greater UAR means greater danger to India. The
new Arab state endangers Israel, and our self-interest
demands support of Israel because it is a strong wall
against the Communist powers."
Goldmann, president of the World Zionist Organization and
of the Jewish Agency, that some of the Russian Jews would
be permitted to leave for Israel, were branded by Izvestia
as "provocative fabrications." The official Soviet organ
stated that such emigration would tend to strengthen Israel
militarily and therefore would destroy the confidence that
Arabs have in the Soviet Union.
At the same time, however, the Middle East airways
were filled with conflicting propaganda which included
charges that the mass migration of East European Jews to
Israel linked Israel with Communism, because the new
settlers are arriving from behind the Iron Curtain.
United Arab Republic radios and newspapers assailed
the migration wave as a build-up for "new aggression" by
Israel. A Damascus Arab daily appealed to the Soviet Union
"not to bolster the capacity" of Israel "for Zionist aggres-
sion." The Cairo daily Ash-Shab blamed the immigration
forces whom they identified as "world Jewry, Britain and
the United States" and as opposed to Arabism.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to create opportunities for
the large influx of new settlers and world Jewish communities
are mobilizing to assure the continuation of emigration efforts.
Romanian. Authorities Create 'Inexplicable'
Difficulties for Jews Migrating to Israel
By BORIS SMOLAR
Direct JTA Teletype Wires to The Jewish News
VIENNA — Two large transports of Jews emigrating from Romania arrived
here by train Tuesday and reported that Romanian authorities who boarded the trains
at the Hungarian frontier had removed a n umber of the emigrants and had refused to
let other members of their families disembark to remain with them.
The authorities gave no reasons for their actions and it was not possible Tues-
day to establish how many of the emigrants—all of whom had been given official
laissez passer documents—had been separated from their families.
The attitude of the Romanion authorities was considered all the more inex-
plicable in view of the official position that the emigration of Jews from Romania
was being permitted on humanitarian grounds to permit the reunion of separated
families.
Arrivals here reported that childre n had been taken from their parents,
fathers from their children and husbands from their wives. One middle-aged woman
from Bucharest, who arrived here with two small children, weepingly reported that
her husband had been detained at the frontier.
She was not able to learn why he had been taken off the train, how long he
would be detained, or if he ever would be permitted to follow her. When she sought
to alight to remain with him, she was told that she had to leave Romania.
Another family reported that their adult children had been taken off the train
at the frontier station, the elderly parents were not permitted to get off the train to
remain with them and had to continue on to Vienna.
Arrivals here described heartrending scenes at the frontier station as the Ro-
manian authorities weeded out the men, women and young people who were to re-
main behind. One witness described the scene as girls on their knees cried and
pleaded with the authorities to let them proceed with their families.
Among those taken off the trains were veteran Zionists who had spent several
years in prison on charges of Zionist activity and who had been released and given
exit permits to leave for Israel. A Bukovin a engineer, Frederick Ostrer, who had
spent four years in prison for Zionist activities, was not molested and arrived here
with the group.
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