Draft UN Rights Declaration
Introduced by American;
Would Affect Russian Jews
UNITED NATION S, N.Y.,
(JTA)—A draft UN Declaration
calling on all governments to
guarantee every form of re-
ligious rights and practices to
all peoples was introduced.
An American representative
at the current session of the
Subcommission on Prevention
of Discrimination and Protection
of Minorities introduced the
draft.
He is Morris
B. Abram of
Atlanta, chair-
man of the ex-
ecutive boar d
of the Ameri-
can Jewish
Committee.
He is the
subcommis-
sion, along
with 13 other
members. as
an individual
Abram
expert.
The document which, it is
hoped, would ultimately be
adopted by the General As-
sembly, would affect direct-
ly the Jews of the Soviet
Union, guaranteeing them all
the religious rights which they
are now denied.
These include the rights to
have matzohs, observance of the
Jewish dietary laws, print and
distribute prayerbooks, make or
buy prayer shawl's, keep their
synagogues open, hold national
and regional religious confer-
ences, and maintain contacts
with Jewish religious organiza-
tions outside of the Soviet
Union.
The two Soviet bloc experts
on the subcommission—Boris S.
Ivanov of the Soviet Union and
Wojciech Ketrzynski of Poland
—have made strenuous efforts
to keep from the subcommission
debate exactly the kind of draft
introduced by Abram.
Communist representatives
have insisted on centering at-
tention instead on a draft
declaration wiping out all
racial intolerance, evidently
hoping that the debate on
racism would be so prolonged
that the group would never
reach the religious freedom
item.
The draft declaration calls on
the UN, its specialized agencies
and all member governments to
promote "energetic action
through research, education and
information" to wipe out all re-
ligious bias.
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It also calls on all member
governments to adopt "appropri-
ate legislation with a view to
hastening the elimination of all
forms of religious discrimina-
tion and intolerance." The docu-
ment does not specifically men-
tion the Soviet Union or any
other country.
Under the provisions of the
declaration, all persons are to
have the rights to "teach the
doctrines, precepts, rites, tra-
ditions and sacred languages
of their religious belief in
public or in private." That
clause would legalize the use
of the Hebrew language for
religious purposes in the
Soviet Union.
All religious believers would
have the right, under the declar-
ation, to "establish and main-
tain houses of worship, religious
schools and congregational,
charitable and educational insti-
Panama Jewish Center
Undisturbed by Tension
Between Zone, U.S.
B.ALBOA, Canal Zone (JTA)
—Rabbi Nathan Witkin, director
of the National Jewish Welfare
Board's Armed Services Center
here, who serves as USO area
director for the Canal Jone, re-
ported that the situation at the
center was quiet and there is
no cause for concern.
Through its sponsorship of the
center, JWB i6 the only main-
land national Jewish organiza-
tion operating in the Canal
Zone.
The center serves U.S. mili-
tary and civilian persognel in
the area and has been a focal
point for communal activities
involving citizens of the Repub-
lic of Panama.
It was pictured on a recent
postage stamp issued by Pan-
ama as one of a series of re-
ligious edifices on the Isth-
mus. The center conducts a
full religious, cultural and
recreational program.
Despite tensions which have
existed between Panama and
the U.S. over the Canal Zone
issue, the Republic of Panama
has from time to time recogniz-
ed the contributions made by
the center.
In 1962 Rabbi Witkin received
the Order of Balboa, highest
decoration given by Panama, in
honor of his 25 years' service.
The citation accompanying the
award paid tribute to his "so-
cial welfare activities which
benefit both the Panama and
Canal Zone civilian communi-
ties." It hailed him as a "silent
ambassador who has been able
to solidify the civilian and re-
ligious groups within his mission
in the Caribbean area."
To Probe Death of Girl
Frozen in Rare Israel
Subzero Weather
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
TEL AVIV—The body of a
small girl from Safed, who re-
portedly died as a result of sub-
zero temperatures which struck
the Jezreel Valley, was brought
to Haifa Hospital Wednesday for
a post mortem to determine the
exact cause of death.
The unusual weather froze an
estimated 25 tons of fish in
Jezreel Valley fish ponds. The
cold wave caused damage to
vegetables and fruits. Orange
grove owners lit huge fires to
warm stricken trees and fruits.
More Tourists to Israel
The number of visitors to
Israel during November reached
10,630, according to the latest
report. This reflects a substan-
tial increase over the number
of tourists during November
1962, which reached 8,714.
tutions for the furtherance of
religious purposes."
Religious groups would have
the right to hold meetings and
organize "on a local, regional
and international level for re-
ligious, educational or charitable
purposes."
They would also have the
the right to "communicate
freely with their coreligionists
and with other religious or-
ganizations and groups, to
visit the Holy Places, to send
representatives and observers
to religious conferences and
meetings, and to receive rep-
resentatives, observers and
visitors from religious or-
ganizations and groups in their
own and other countries."
Thus, under the latter clause,
religious Russian Jews could be
in touch again with Jewish re-
ligious organizations throughout
the world, as well as have the
right to visit Israel.
T h e declaration authorizes
freedom of writing, printing
and publishing religious books
and religious literature. It calls
for producing, importing, selling
or otherwise distributing religi-
ous objects, "dietary foods," or
other articles and facilities "cus-
tomarily used for worship or
performance of religious observ-
ances."
Aiming directly at the
Soviet Union where all means
of production and distribution
are controlled by the govern-
ment, the declaration would
make it mandatory on such
governments to aid religious
groups to obtain "objects,
foods, articles or facilities or
the means of producing or pro-
curing them."
All persons of any religion
would have to be given, under
the declaration, the freedom to
"observe the High Holy Days,
religious rites, ceremonies and
burial customs prescribed by
their religious belief."
Another clause in. the Decla-
ration would give to all reli-
gious believers "recourse to
competent courts or other na-
tional tribunals for the purpose
of seeking an effective remedy
for discrimination threatened or
suffered by reason of religion
or belief."
The declaration states cate-
gorically that "everyone shall
hi. free to manifest his religion
and belief in public or in pri-
vate, alone or in community
with others, in worship, teach-
ing, practice and observance."
Lagging Absorption
of Immigrants Spells
Problems in Israel
NEW YORK, (JTA) — "Three
years of peak immigration into
Israel has brought intense
human suffering in its wake,"
Louis A Pincus, treasurer of the
Jewish Agency, declared at a
press conference at the national
headquarters of the United
Jewish Appeal.
The heavy immigration which
Israel has received over the
past three years, during which
tens of thousands of Jews have
entered the country, represents
a "brilliant achievement" on
the part of Israel's people and
the United Jewish Appeal and
other supporters abroad who
have provided much of the
funds which made this influx
possible, Pincus said.
He stressed, however, that
the process of absorbing the
newcomers has fallen far be-
hind the pace of immigration.
He said that housing short-
ages, coupled with the slow
pace of immigrant absorption,
are creating serious social prob-
lems for large sections of
Israel's population.
Gratz College Chapel
Dedicated for Editor
of Jewish Exponent
PHILADELPHIA (JTA)—The
governments of the United
States and Israel joined in trib-
ute to the late David J. Gaiter,
editor of the Jewish Exponent.
Gaiter won national renown
as a writer and publicist on Jew-
ish affairs.
Messages from leading figures
in the two governments were
read at the dedication of a
chapel at Gratz College here.
The chapel was built and fur-
nished by friends of Mr. Gaiter.
Myer Feinstein, Philadel-
phia philanthropist and chair-
man of the chapel building
fund, presided at the exer-
cises.
Memorial tributes were de-
livered by Judge Nochem S.
Winnet, president of the Fed-
eration of Jewish Agencies; Dr.
Solomon Grayzel, editor of the
Jewish Publication Society; and
Mrs. William B. Lakritz, Mr.
Gaiter's daughter.
Speakers included Dr. Elazar
Goelman, dean of Gratz College;
Benson M. Schambelan, presi-
dent of the Gratz College Alum-
ni Association, and Mark Obner,
president of the Gratz Student
Association.
National Jewish Leader
Frisco Federation Head
SAN FRANCISCO, (JTA) —
Philanthropic leader Benjamin
H. Swig, national Jewish leader,
was elected president of the
Jewish Welfare Federation of
San Francisco, Marin County and
the Peninsula.
He has headed the federation's
fund-raising committee for sev-
eral years.
Making Tax Refund Grow
The U. S. Treasury again is
offering taxpayers the opportun-
ity of taking their income tax
refunds in U. S. Savings Bonds.
Information on the Savings Bond
tax refund option is given in the
instructions accompanying the
tax reform.
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