USSR Charged by Lord Russell With Failure to Keep
Promises to Ameliorate Condition of Jewish Citizens
tion of Soviet Jews is "one of
those tragic anomalies that ex -
ercise the concern of those who
are steadfastly opposed to the
c old war and
seek greater un-
derstanding be-
tween the na-
tions," Lord Bert-
rand Russell, the
a mous British
_=ilosopher, de-
tared here Sun-
ay.
regard to Poles, Rumanians and
Germans who were allowed to
resettle in their own countries,
many Germans being permitted
to join relatives in Western Ger-
many.
"The one community which suf-
fered most at the hands of the
Nazis — the Jews — have many
thousands of individuals in the
USSR who have been waiting for
more than 20 years to join their
close relatives in Israel and other
countries. Elsewhere in Eastern
Europe, Jews in similar positions
have been allowed family reunifica-
tions. The Soviet Union, however,
has granted exit permit's only to
a small number of mainly elderly
persons. Soviet Jews have no op-
portunity to voice their feelings
publicly and are dependent on pub-
lic opinion abroad. I am happy
that students of British universities
are engaged in this special effort
to make the facts more widely
know n. Discrimination against
Jews in the USSR, like the persecu-
tion of dissident intellectuals,
seriously impair the development
of the Soviet Union as a true
Socialist society and hinder the ef-
forts of all those working for in-
ternational coexistence."
(Pravda, the official organ of
the Soviet Communist Party, re-
ported the election of G. E. Pod-
gayev, a non-Jew, as first secre-
tary of the regional committee of
the Jewish Autonomous Region
of Birobidjan, according to dis-
patches reaching New York).
The conference adopted a num-
ber of resolutions, including one
asking for adequate compensation
of victims of Nazism. It lauded the
decision of the British Government
to accede to the United Nations
Convention Against Genocide and
welcomed the enactment of the
British race relations bill as "an
important step in the field of civil
rights legislation."
The conference also applauded
the recent United Nations action
He made that
statement in a
lengthy message
to the national
conference of the
British section of
the World Jew-
Russell
ish Congress. "The irony of this
situation is that Soviet Jews, sur-
vivors of a people whose destruc-
tion was a priority of Nazi Ger-
many's war aims, are still facing
the problem of national survival,"
he added.
Recalling the fate that befell
the Soviet Jews under the late
Josef Stalin, Lord Russell stated:
"In 1948, Stalin and his secret
police executed the Jewish crea-
tive intelligentsia and totally
destroyed Jewish institutions —
publishing houses, schools, thea-
ters and every vestige of na-
tional existence outside the syna-
gogue. De s t aliniz a tion has
brought little improvement. Jews
still have no schools, no national
theaters and no secular, com-
munal institutions."
"Although restitution was fre-
quently promised in 1956 and
1957," Lord Russell continued,
"only token symbols of culture
have been permitted — a handful
of books in the Yiddish language
published in small editions and
exploited as reassuring propagan-
da abroad, one monthly Yiddish
magazine, one or two dramatic
groups and a few touring Jewish
singers. This represents the total
cultural resources of 3,000,000
people traditionally regarded as
one of the most talented and Day School Conclave Told
creative Jewish communities in the of Burgeoning Movement
world.
TORONTO (JTA) — Delegates
"A comparison with other
Soviet nationalities exposes the to the 18th annual convention of
basic injustice of their situation, Torah Umesorah's National As-
for even the smallest national sociation of Hebrew Day School
groups in the Soviet Union are PTAs here called on local com-
given the opportunity to pursue a munities with complete Hebrew
cultural, social and political life day schools to begin planning for
of their own, denied to Jews."
Hebrew high schools for graduating
Turning to the suppression of students of the day schools.
The delegates noted the growth
religion affecting Soviet Jewry,
Lord Russell declared: "Although of the day school movement, which
the anti-religious campaign in now has 359 schools of which 36
the USSR is directed against all are located in Canada. The dele-
religions, it is prosecuted with gates expressed "dismay" at ac-
exceptional severity against tions of some Jewish organizations
Judaism. Propaganda against the using "community funds" to fight
all government efforts to provide
Jewish religion often assumes a
character of racial anti-Semit- welfare and related services, such
- ism as in the writing of Kitchko, as bus transport, to children at-
,gayatsky and Osperov. The clo- tending non-public schools.
The delegates urged an intensi-
sure of synagogues has been
fication of Jewish studies in the
conducted ruthlessly,.
"At the time of the October day schools as well as excellence
Revolution, there were some 3,000 in general studies. The day school
synagogues in the Soviet Union. movement began 20 years ago.
By 1956, according to a Soviet Torah Umesorah was approved re-
report to the United Nations, only cently by Washington as a spon-
450 remained. Since then, a fur- soring agency for a federal grant
ther 354 have been closed and of more than $200,000 to admin-
many cities with large Jewish pop- ister Head Start projects in New
ulations have no places of wor- York City's poverty impacted areas.
ship available at all. Religious The Head Start project, a pre-
rife is additionally hindered by the school education program, will be
denial to Judaism of essential run in conjunction with eight
facilities available to other rec- Hebrew day schools which are
ognized Soviet religions, to the located in poverty areas.
extent that makes it impossible
to practice Judaism with the free- Tel Aviv Council Opposes
dom guaranteed by the Soviet
Lavish Bar Mitzvahs
Constitution.
"It is particularly tragic that
TEL AVIV (JTA) — The Tel
the Soviet authorities have still Aviv Religious Council Tuesday
taken no steps to end the separa- urged the public here to refrain
tion of members of Jewish fam- from holding lavish Bar Mitzvah
ilies disunited in appalling cir- and wedding receptions. In a state-
cumstances during the Nazi war. ment issued by the council, the
As a result of repatriation agree- appeal for austerity stated that
ments between the USSR and conspicuous consumption tends
other Conmiunist countries in toward "general religious and
Eastern Europe, most of these moral decadence."
on an International Convention for
the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Intolerance and approved
of the recent action by the Coun-
cil of Europe which decided to deal
with the subject of incitement to
racial. and religious hatred and
violence.
It urged the strengthening of
Jewish education, in both Hebrew
and Yiddish, and warmly approved
the efforts by the British section
of the World Jewish Congress to
foster Yiddish culture.
The conference was the 14th
biennial assembly of the British
section of the WJC.
continue their efforts, hoping that
Soviet Government's "new .sensi-
tivity to public opinion" would
bring reforms.
Before the rally, nearly 1,000
persons took part in a protest
march for Soviet Jewry. Par-
ticipating in the march were dele-
gations from the American Legion,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Jewish
War Veterans and other commu-
nity groups.
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1,000 March in Brooklyn
In Protest Against
Soviet Policy on Jews
NEW YORK (JTA) — Rep.
Emanuel Celler, New York Demo-
crat, said here Sunday night that
public protests are the only effec-
tive method of publicizing the anti-
Jewish conditions in the Soviet
Union. Addressing a rally of some
800 persons in Brooklyn protesting
anti-Semitism in the USSR, Rep.
Celler urged the participants to
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