Freedom Grows for North African Jews
as Anti-Israel Policies Still Threaten
NEW Y OR K.—An on-the-
A. M. Sonnabend, industrial-
- scene study of the situation of ist of Boston, is president of
Jews in. Tunisia. Algeria and the Committee.
Morocco conducted by the Euro-
The Committee report on
pean Office • of the American North Africa stressed that
the "scope and intensity of
Jewish Committee has revealed:
1. A general relaxation—es- Jewish uprooting has left its
impact on virtually every as-
pecially in the last two years—
of restrictions against Jews in pect of Jewish communal
the three North African na- life." Of the half-million Jews
who resided in North Africa
tions.
2. At present there is no im- 15 years ago, less than 170,-
000 remain, the Committee
mediate threat to Jewish physi-
cal security or their freedom stated. This migration "has
meant the disappearance of
to emigrate.
Jew i s h communities that
3. Continuing official anti- traced their history back for
Israel policies of all North centuries."
African governments remains a
The country by country sit-
potential danger since press at-
tacks on "Zionism" and Israel uation is described as follows:
ALGERIA: The population 15 years
cannot help but breed antagon- ago
was 130,000. It is now less than
ism toward local Jews.
10,000. The tremendous migration has
virtually wrecked any organized Jew-
These were some of the high- ish communal organization. Jews are
lights of a report made public continuing to leave because of un-
certainty about their future under
by Ralph Friedman, chairman of the
new Moslem regime which
the American Jewish Commit- pledged drastic reforms aimed at
"ridding Algeria of its colonial
tee's administrative board, one heritage." There is a good possibility
of the main topics of discussion - that only a handful of Jews will
remain in Algeria.
at the Committee's 56th annual eventually
MOROCCO: The population 15 years
meeting now in session at Ho- ago was 250,000. There are now some
105,000 Jews. The reign of Hassan II
tel Commodore.
has seen relaxation of many of the
Adali Stevenson. U.S. Ambas- tensions that formerly troubled Mo-
Jewry. Although there is
sador to the United Nations, roccan
some uncertainty, by and large, Mo-
will receive the Committee's roccan Jews feel that their . basic
human rights are respected and have
American Liberties Medalion hopes
for official government recog-
"for exceptional advancement nition of an autonomous Jewish
community.
of the principles of human
TUNISIA: Population 15 years ago,
liberty." Morris B. Abram, 120,000 Jews—now, 30,000. The "anti-
prominent New York attorney, foreign" feeling that swept the coun-
try two years ago has abated but the
is the annual meeting chairman. possibility
that Tunisia may break
with the West and draw closer to
the Arab League is a threat to
Jewry. At present, the Jews in Tit ,
nisia suffer few restrictions.
Dr. Hannah Arendt, the widely American organization that col-
publicized author of a number of lected and redistributed cultural
important books, herself an es - objects found in Germany. Since
Most harmful to Jews of capee from Nazi Germany, was then, I have had no official con-
North Africa, the report as- commissioned by the New York - tact with the Jewish world."
serts, is the universal anti- er Magazine to report on the
The Zionist -movement con-
Israel policy of the North Eichmann trial. Long after the ducted underground and over-
A f r i can governments. This Nazi murderer's excution, five ground campaigns to rescue Jews
policy has led to:
articles by Dr. Arendt appeared from the Nazi clutches, and
1. A postal ban adopted by all in the New Yorker, and their
there were many instances of re-
North African states with regard to
Israel, which has cut communications texts now form a full-length sistance by Jews against the Hit-
between tens of thousands of Jews book, "Eichmann in Jerusalem lerite scourge. Yet, from her ac-
in North Africa and their relatives —A Report on the Banality of
count one could gather suspi-
in Israel.
2. In Morocco, this anti-Israel pol- Evil," published by Viking Press cions, resentments against Jew-
icy led the government to block (625 Madison, NY 22).
ish activities, a sort of personal
Jewish emigration in the past.
Her articles shocked American vendetta. It is an attitude, as
3. Persistent attacks in all three
countries on Isfael and "Zionism" Jewry and angered many Israelis stated, most difficult to explain!
cannot help but breed antagonism —and her book will, equally, Here is a sociologist who differs
toward' local Jews.
with legalists on the conduct of
The report stressed that "re- arouse indignation.
Especially humiliating is the the Eichmann trial. It is nothing
sponsible North African gov-
ernment leadership has always theory advanced by her that the short of amazing!
It was an Eichmann aide who,
tried to clearly distinguish be- murder of six million Jews be-
tween measures taken 'against came possible because -there was according to Miss Arendt, refer-
Zionism' and their attitudes to- a measure of cooperation by Jews red to Dr. Baeck as "the Jewish
ward national Jewish minori- in the conduct of the concentra- `Fuehrer' in Berlin," yet she
gave credence to such terminol-
ties." In spite of this, the re- tion camps.
ogy!
Some
readers
will
read
into
port adds there has been
While the entire world liter-
"interaction" between attacks many of Miss Arendt's passages
ally submitted to Nazism, until
on Zionism and attitudes to- a sympathy for Eichmann.
the United States joined the
ward Jews. -
It will be difficult to com- Allied forces to put an end to
The report concludes: "Of the prehend Miss Arendt's attitude Hitlerism, Miss Arendt continu-
150,000 Jews who live in North toward the Jewish communi- ally refers to Jewish submission.
Africa today, perhaps 100,000 ties and on the question of There is something ungracious
or even less will remain in a Zionism. What made her aban- about it.
few years. One can expect a don "official contact with the
Quoting Ben-Gurion's declar-
Jewish community of 75,000 to Jewish world?" Why does she
ation, "Israel does not need
continue in Morocco and some refer to the late Dr. Leo Baeck
The protection of an Interna-
15,000 Jews in Tunisia, barring as a personality who was view- tional Court," Miss Arendt ar-
ed
as
a
"Jewish
Tuehrer",
any sudden and unforseen de-
gues: "The argument that the
thus maligning his memory?
velopments."
crime against the Jewish peo-
Dr. Arendt has said in recall- ple was first of all a crime
ing her association with the Zion- against mankind, upon which
ist leaders:
the valid proposals for an in-
"Before I left Germany in ternational tribunal rested,
1933, I had been very friendly stood in flagrant contradition
with
a number of Zionists, with- to the la* under which Eich-
existed between Jews and
mann was tried." It is in such
Mormons is emphasized in Dr. out being a Zionist and without spirit that she argues against
Glanz's study. He. shows how belonging to the organization. I the validity of Eichmann's
amicably Jews lived with Mor- was not interested in politics, trial, after his seizure, by
mons in their territory. He but I definitely sympathized with Israel in Israel.
states that "Mormonism ap- their point of view. In May 1933,
In differing with Ben-Gurion,
pears as the conqueror of old if I remember correctly (after
Christian - European inhibi- Hitler's rise to power) the Zion- she proceeds to say that "if geno-
tions vis-a-vis Judaism and as ist organization approached me cide is an actual possibility of
the creator of a new relation- to do some 'illegal' work: to col- the future, then no people on
ship to the old Bible people lect data on official anti-semit- earth—least of all, of course, the
and its religious world . . . A ism. This could be done only by Jewish people, in Israel or else-
uniqUe situation originated ... somebody who was not a mem- where—can feel reasonably sure
when the Mormons entered ber of the organization since of its continued existence with-
American history by creating otherwise, in case of arrest, the out the help and the protection
their own territory, a minor- existence of the organization of internation law." While many
ity problem arose—the Amer- would have been put into jeop- of her arguments are valid, there
ican Jew as part of a newly- ardy. I accepted gladly and, alas, are many distortions which will
formed religious community was arrested with a beautiful col- prove harmful to- Israel and
in America . . . The fact that lection. After that, I had to which will tend to place Isralis
the new religious establish- leave Germany illegally and in a wrong light vis-a-vis the
ment of the new group known rather in a hurry. I went to Euchmann trial.
Dr. Arendt asserts that Eich-
as Mormons could contribute Paris. I now began to take part
to the consolidation, socially in the Zionist organization as a mann, as he had been quoted,
and spiritually, of the oldest social worker among Jewish refu- saw no one in opposition to his
European religious commu- gees. From 1935 onwards, I was Final Solution scheme, and he
nity in the New World repre- `secretaire generale' of Youth had not even met with Jewish op-
sents one of the most aston- Aliyah, hence an employee of position and she declares that
ishing phenomenon in the his- the Jewish Agency. I remained in Eichmann "naturally did not ex-
close contact with them up to the pect the Jews to share the gen-
tory of ideas."
outbreak of the war. I came to eral enthusiasm over their de-
In his book, Dr. Glanz deals America in 1941, and during my struction but he did expect more
with economic developments first two years here, I wrote a than compliance of them; he ex-
among Mormons and the role column for the German-Jewish pected their cooperation, and, to .
played by Jewish merchants newspaper, 'Aufbau,' chiefly a truly extraordinary degree, he
among them, of the background about the need for a Jewish received it. This cooperation
of Mormonism and the various Army. I left the Zionist organi- was, in Eichmann's words, 'of
and numerous aspects of Jew- zation in 1943 after the Biltrnore course, the very cornerstone' of
ish-Mormon relationships. -
Conference, but without raising everything he did . . . " One
There are chapters devoted a fuss, quietly. My reason: treat- wonders what is attained by such
to the Mormon Mission to the ment of the Arab question. A frequent emphasis on Eichmann
Jews and to the movement to few years later I wrote a lengthy statements.
convert Jews to Mormonism. He article, published in 'Menorah'
The fact that after severing as-
shows that while there were under the title 'Zionism Recon- sociation with Jewish -groups she
few Christian converts to Mor- sidered.' In 1948, Judah Magnes wrote for the Menorah .Journal
monism, there were even fewer —American rabbi and Zionist which then had played a role in
Jews who became Mormons. He leader—came from Jerusalem to Council for Judaism propaganda.
states that there was a Mormon America and asked me to help may have some relation to her
distrust of Jewish converts. The him in forming an inner-Zionist attitude. In any event, there are
most prominent of the Jewish op-position to the official Zionist too - 'Many confusions in her
converts was Alexander Nai- policy. I agreed and worked with "Eichmann. in ,Jerusalem," and
baur who "was not only strong him for about six months— until they tend to leave a bad taste
in faith but also in the unwaver- his death. From 1949 to 1352, I , and to create an antagonism
ing of his fellow Mormons in was Executive Secretary of Jew-1 against Jewry.
him as proven by the blood- ish Cultural Reconstruction, an I
P.S.
theory of the genuine descend-
ants of Ephraim credited espe-
cially for him. A lengthy ac- Anti-Semitism Hits Rio de Janeiro
count is given by Dr. Glanz of • RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA)— of the Brazilian economy, nam-
the life and activities of Nei- Police authorities at Belo Hori-
baur, a dental surgeon, whose zonte, capital of the Province ing several members of the fed-
son Isaac fell upon evil ways. of Minas Gerais, announced eral government, whom it labels
"Jews," as collaborators in the
These and many more inci- they were investigating the plans. Brazilians are called upon
dents are packed into the origin of anti-Semitic leaflets to boycott Jewish business en-
thorough study of Jewish-Mor- that have flooded the city.
terprises and to refuse to pay
mon relations. Dr. Glanz's re-
The material, using anti-Se- debts to Jews. There are about
search as shown in this book is mitic slogans, alleges that Jews 500 Jewish families in Belo
of a high caliber.
are attempting to gain control Horizonte.
Dr. Wanes Study, Jew and Mormon
Reveals Mormonism's Pro-Zionist View
Anyone, in the eyes of a Mor- that "belief in the imminent
mon, who is not a Mormon, is a gathering of the Jews into their
"Gentile." In relation to the old homeland, Palestine, was
Mormon, the Jew is a Gentile. one of the basic concepts of
But the Mormons have imbibed Mormonism.
many of their codes and prac-
Mormons believed only in
tices from Jews. They derive Palestine as the center of a re-
inspiration from the Old Testa- stored Jewish life, and the idea
ment, and while they do not promulgated by Mordecai Man-
practice Jewish rites—like kash- uel Noah for a state of Ararat
rut, or the Sabbath — there is in New York was decried.
some kinship.
"It is clear," Dr. Glanz writes,
Even polygamy finds its "that for the Mormon creed a
roots in ancient times, as indi- territory other than Palestine
cated by Dr. Rudolf Glanz in could not be considered for the
his new book, "Jew and Mor- in-gathering of the Jews. The
mon—Historic Group Relations following was a charaCteristic
and Religious Outlook." pub manifestation of this view which
lished by Waldon Press (150 was also noteworthy from the
Lafayette, N.- Y. 13), with the viewpoint of American Jewish
help of the Lucius N. Littauer history. It was directed against
Foundation. Dr. Glanz, in his the man who wanted to con-
thorough analysis of the entire voke the Jew of the whole
Jew-Mormon relationship, shows world to his 'Ararat'. in Amer-
that "the problem of religious ica. This manifestation was no
freedom entangled in the polit- less convincing because it ap-
ical fight (this dates back near- peared in the framework of a
ly a century) against Mormon poleic against an inimical ar-
polygamy was given space in ticle in Noah's New York Eve-
the Jewish press which present- ning Star. The attitude re-
ed an honest exposition of the mained pertinent even when
Mormon viewpoint."
`Ararat' was declared a mere
Then there is a report of a real - estate speculation. It was
sermon given in 1877 by Rabbi in-gathering of the Jews which
Maurice Fluegel, who disagreed was under consideration: 'This-
with the Rev. Henry Ward much from M. M. Noah,- a Jew
Beecher's statement that "Mor- who had used all the influence
monism was the literal accept- in his power to dupe his fellow
ance of the Old Testament."
Jews.' " (The latter quotation
But the Jewish press at the is from an article in Deseret
time devoted much space to News, 1851).
Mormons and it was natural
The good relationship that
that polygamy should have been
discussed and debated. There
were many who claimed that Moscow Audience
Mormonism was derived from
Judaism, and that, too, was a Cheers U.S. Tenor
subject for much dispute:
LONDON, (JTA)—A Moscow
"There were some lonely audience of 2,000 that filled the
voices," Dr. Glanz states, "which Chaikovsky Conservatory audi-
pointed out a special Christian I torium there to capacity cheered,
aspect in Mormonism . . . Or wept and called for more en-
they saw Christianity as at cores when Jan Peerce, famous
least an equal dynamic element Metropolitan Opera tenor, sang
in the origin of Mormonism ..." Yiddish and Hebrew songs as
Dr.. Glanz also quotes an part of a long recital that fea-
opinion that Mormons were tured chiefly operatic arias, ac-
impressed by the Biblical cording to Moscow dispatches re-
Sabbath, "but this referred ceived here. Peerce is in the
only to formal solemnity in Soviet Union for a month-long
observing the Sabbath rest. tour.
The thought of holding the
Peerce interjected the Yid-
seventh day of the week holy dish and Hebrew songs as en-
appeared only later in certain cores to operatic numbers. One
groups which split from the of the songs, in Yiddish, was the
main church."
famous plea of the Berditchever
Of special interest in Dr. Rebbe who, addressing God, be-
Glanz's study is his assertion wails the lot of the Jews.
Arendt's `Eichmann ins. Jerusalem'
Marked by Confusion, Antagonism