THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, August 12, 1966-5
Discuss German-Jewish Relations at WJC
• Continued from. Page 1 •
German Parliament that says thank
you through me to the World
Jewish Congress."
Dr. Goldmann, as president of
the WJC, and the plenary session's
presidium, received cables from
West Germany's Chancellor Lud-
wig Erhard and Berlin Mayor Willy
Brandt.
After expressing his hope that
the dialogue would aid toward im-
provement of German-Jewish rela-
tions, Chancellor Erhard stated in
his message: "Jewish citizens have
made a lasting contribution to Ger-
man life in the past. The German
people remember with deep agony
the terrible suffering to which the
Jews were subjected under Nazi
rule. Let mutual understanding
and mutual respect be fostered by
this exchange of views. I send to
the World Jewish Congress my
best regards and wishes for a
fruitful conference."
The message received from Willy
Brandt and Fritz Erler, leader of
West Germany's Social Democratic
Party, stated, "The presidium of
the German Social Democratic
Party sends heartfelt greetings to
the Brussels assembly. We par-
ticularly welcome the decision of
the World Jewish Congress to dis-
cuss German-Jewish r elations
frankly, and we hope that honest
discussion will help find the right
steps which we can take in the
future."
Dr. Goldmann said in summariz-
ing the symposium: "The crimes
by the Germans against the Jews
in the Nazi era are of a different
category and, in their enormity,
are quite outside the scope of what
was known until then. But what
now? Shall we ignore Germany?
But we don't live in a ghetto.
There is Israel which has diplo-
matic relations with Germany.
"This dialogue with the Germans
started 15 years ago, and not here
at the assembly," Dr. Goldmann
continued. "There are many Ger-
mans who want to forget t h e
crimes. But there are also many
other Germans who prevent them
from doing so." Referring to the
symposium, he said, "this is not
reconciliation; nobody advocates
that; what we are dealing with
and speaking about is co-exist-
ence."
Opponents and Proponents
does not remember what his own
people did to the Jewish people
does not command my respect—
nor should he be respected by
other Germans and by Jews of our
generation. Between us, there can
never be normalization. We can
talk to each other and, indeed, we
must—but only for the purpose of
clarifying each other's mind. It
must be understood that Germany
can never be the home of Jews
again. There are Jews who live
there today but that is a different
matter. The dialogue between Ger-
mans and Jews is possible. It is
even necessary. But it will remain
a dialogue. It will lead to no con-
crete consequences."
Dr. Hendryk G. van Dam, gen-
eral secretary of the Central Coun-
cil of Jews in West Germany re-
ported: "After the war, there were
almost 20,000 Jews in the German
Federal Republic, but their num-
ber has dwindled. Today, there
are small, scattered Jewish com-
munities, ranging from 6,000 in
West Berlin to small groups of a
few hundred. The average age of
the German Jew today is 59,
which shows that young Jewish
people do not tend to stay in
Germany and there is a tendency
for the young to leave the coun-
try. Therefore, it must be assumed
there will not be a large Jewish
community in Germany in t h e
years to come, but just a group
of Jews living there."
Viewing the situation in a mod-
erate manner were some of the
participants in the symposium
proper, among them Prof. Ger-
shon Scholem, of the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem and Prof.
Salo W. Baron, of Columbia Uni-
versity.
Argentine Jewry
Gets Assurances
from Gen. Ongania
BUENOS AIRES (JTA)—Presi-
dent Juan Carlos Ongania, leader
of Argentina's new military regime,
tried to calm uneasiness among the
Jews in this country during a press
conference he held to explain the
general policies which guide his
government.
Asserting that his regime would
respect all minorities and curb ex-
tremism, Gen. Ongania said:
"The Argentine revolution con-
demns all extremism. Our objective
is to neutralize all types of ex-
tremism, particularly Communism,
which oppose the spiritual union of
the population and would dissociate
from our historical and cultural
heritage as well as our occidental
and Christian system of life."
Asked about his government's at-
titude to the credit cooperatives,
which had been curbed during the
first days of the regime, he said:
"There are already cooperatives
functioning a c or ding to legal
norms."
Most of this country's Jewish
businessmen are interested in the
fate of the cooperatives which had
been launched by Jewish immi-
grants in Argentina.
The news conference statement
was the second time President
Ongania had addressed himself to
Argentina's 500,000 Jews. Two
weeks after seizing power he re-
ceived a delegation of DAIA, the
central representative body of
Argentine Jewry. At that time Gen.
Ongania assured the DAIA leaders
that his regime opposed extremist
groups and sought to protect minor-
ity rights.
Jewish leaders here said that
they were pleased by the Presi-
dent's remarks, but they were
puzzled over the meaning of Gen.
Ongania's statement that his regime
would "implement a system of
selective immigration to Argentina
from countries which have consti-
tuted the present reality of our
population by its races and re-
Statements against the invita-
tion to Dr. Gerstenmaier were
made by representatives of Herut,
Mapam and Achdut Avodah. Ad-
ditionally, Mrs., C. Chaya Gross-
man, of Israel, spoke on behalf
of four Israeli organizations of
fighters against Nazism.
"It is much too early," she
maintained, "to hold a dialogue
between Germans and Jews. Even
today, in Germany, former SS
men are freely organized; judges
and professors who began their
careers under Hitler are today at
the top of the social ladder; re-
vanchist propaganda is extremely
lively. All this is going on with,
at least, the tacit approval of the
West German Government." Rep-
resentatives of Mapam and Achdut
Avodah spoke in a similar vein.
Isaac Remba, on behalf of Herut,
told the session: "In thousands
of German homes, there are still
the candlesticks of our mothers.
Countless German women still
wear the jewelry given by Jewish
parents to their children on festive
occasions. Thousands of Germans
still enjoy Jewish possessions with-
out remorse — otherwise, they
would have returned these. Large
numbers of murderers are free
all over Germany. The German who
will appear on our rostrum will
be faced with the ghosts of the
millions of people who died a
thousand horrible deaths at the
hands of his nation."
Dr. Joachim Prinz, former presi-
dent of the American Jewish Con-
gress speaking as chairman of
the Presidents Conference of
Major American Jewish organiza-
tions, said: "The German who ligions".
Religious Elements Pressure Knesset on Post Mortems
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A state-
ment declaring that post mortem
dissections are "forbidden by the
Torah in any manner whatsoever,"
was issued here by Chief Ashke-
nazi Rabbi Isser Unterman, Chief
Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim,
members of the Chief Rabbinate
Council and 50 other Israeli re-
ligious leaders.
Another statement signed by 15
doctors called on the Knesset to
prevent passage of a pending bill
that would give the hospital the
right to decide on performing a
post mortem. The statement said
that an autopsy performed against
the wishes of the deceased is "a
great infringement of individual
liberty." •
"outside elements" to put pressure of all autopsies whatever their
on the Israeli government to bar reason.
autopsies.
Earlier this week, more than 100
religious zealots demonstrated
near the Knesset against autopsies.
The group carried placards read-
ing "Please do not dissect us" and
"We want to be buried whole."
The rabbinical court of Israel's
Assembly of Ashkenazi Congrega-
tions ordered all burial societies
...bat if you Want up-to-date
to refuse to accept bodies for bur-
imaginative, hard-hitting ads,
ial if a post mortem has been per-
brochures, c at clogs, and
formed, unless an authorization
ETC'S, (at list price, because
signed by a qualified rabbi is pro-
they're fresh !) call — Murry
vided.
Koblin
Adv. 18039 Wyoming,
Leaders of the ultra-Orthodox
UN. 1-5600.
Agudat Isarel and Neturei Karta
have also declared their intention
Meanwhile, an anonymous group of campaigning for the cessation
calling itself "The League of Im-
migrants and Tourists of the United
States and Europe" has distributed
posters here threatening to call on
SUMMER
CLEARANCE
ON ADS
Torah Scroll Stolen
TORONTO (JTA) — A Torah
scroll valued at $1,000 was stolen
from a downtown synagogue in
Toronto on the eve of the Sabbath.
The theft was not discovered until
a member went to the ark to take
out the Torah for the reading
ceremony. The synagogue is called
the Anshei Lubavitch.
No one undersells
HARRY ABRAM
A Phone Call Will SAVE You Money!
SHORE CHEVROLET CO.
TW 1-0600
12240 Jos. Campau
Res. LI 8-4119
The selection at our
Northland Men's Shoe
Shop is as enticing as
a bowl of grebenes.
If you've got an appetite for good-looking shoes, you'll
want to come to our Northland Men's Shoe Shop.
And if you want to come to our Northland Men's Shoe
Shop we'd better tell you how to get there (because some
men seem to have a little trouble finding the place). It's
simple:
One way is to come in on Northland Drive and turn at
Stouffer's Restaurant. Park in Lots "G" or "H" at the
south end of the Center (where there's always room). Then
you take a little walk to Bldg. "G" and there we are.
See? It's no big tsiniis.
PH ILLI
NORTHLAND CENTER
Use Lots "G" or "H" at south end of the center
Right Near the Detroit Bank.