World Jewish Congress Urged to Form USSR Claims Many
Center for Southeast Asia Jewries Jews in College

"There are a number of small
Jewish communities in Southeast
Asia distant from the great centers
of Jewish life which, like that of
Singapore, have preserved their
Jewish identity. But to maintan
and enhance the quality of the reli-
gious and cultural activity, and to
ensure the loyalty of their Jewish
youth to the ideals and values of
Jewish tradition, help will be need-
ed. For example, the 600 Jews of
Singapore ask no financial help,
but we do need other forms of
help. There is only one rabbi, and
he is no longer a young man. I
should like to appeal to the World
Jewish Congress for assistance in
this field, and I can give the assur-
ance that we would welcome the
establishment of a Jewish center
in Singapore to cater to the whole
of Southeast Asia."
This statement was made in New
York last Sunday at a leadership
seminar organized by the Ameri-
can Section of the World Jewish
Congress, by David S. Marshall,
former chief minister of Singapore
and a member of the Singapore
delegation to the UN General As-
sembly. Like a number of other
Jews, Marshall, one of Singapore's
most distinguished barristers, has
long played a leading role in the
political life of that now independ-
ent State.
Marshall said that Singapore
could be considered an experiment
In 100 per cent racial equality and
cultural democracy in an open
multiracial society. He said: "We

WHEN YOU .:Pic A COCKTAIL

c,ACCaddig

;oh

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Celebration of the 50th jubilee of
the USSR Young Communist
League was an occasion for a cele-
bration by the only Yiddish per-
iodical in the Soviet Union, Soviet-
ish Heimland, and the magazine's
editor, Aron Vergelis, was host at
a gathering which included
academicians, writers and Jews
prominent in the Communist party.
Reporting on the event, in a
statement submitted to The Jewish
News through the Soviet Embassy
in Washington, Semyon Rabinovich
of Novosti Press Agency stated
that a 15-year-old Jewish girl,
Sonya Frei, "defended the new
Soviet republic" and that the
speakers at the Heimland celebra-
tion included the Russian poet
Matvei Kryuchkin; Prof. Kazimir
Kobelyansky; the poet Alexan-
der Zharov; Prof. Viktor Dolin;
former partisan Klava Miloradova,
the artiste of the Russian Federa-
tion, Veniamin Shvartser; the poet
Alexander Bezymensky; and Alex-
ander Chesnavicius, secretary of
the Central Committee of the Young
Communist League.
Of particular interest in Rabino-
vich's report are figures intended
to show the large number of Jews
in Leningrad University and the
extent of Yiddish studies. His re-
port states:
"A small booklet lies before me:
Report on the Activities of Lenin-
grad University. 1966-67.
"As of Jan. 1, 1967, the total
student body of the university
numbered 18,779 young men and
women — representatives of 51 na-
tionalities. The day school had:
Russians, 7,826 students, 84.4 per
cent of the total; Ukrainians-398,
4.3 per cent; Jews-391 or 4.2 per
cent; Byelorussian — 125, 1.3 per
There is no defense against cent; Lithuanians-21 or 0.2 per
cent;
Tartars-56, 0.6 per cent.
someone else's superiority except
"On Jan. 1, 1968, the university's
love. —Goethe.
student body increased to 19,221
people. The day school enrollment
was: Russians-8,390; Ukrainians
—344; Jews-420, Byelorussians-
181.
"The enrollment for the day
course in 1967 was: Russians,
1,686; Ukrainians-83; Jews-69;
Byelorussian-25; 145 students of
other nationalities.
If each nationality be taken for
a 100, then in the 1966-67 academic
year entrance examinations to the
university were passed by: Rus-
sians-22; Jews-20.8; Ukrainians-
20.1; Byelorussian-14.3.
"As I learned from the editors
of Sovietish Heimland, it will
carry regularly, starting with the
first issue for 1969, popular mater-
ial as an aid to those studying
Yiddish.
"In connection with the 110th
birth anniversary of Sholem Alei-
chem in 1969, the magazine will
carry a series of little-known let-
ters by Menahem-Mendele and
Sheyne Sheyndl, heroes of his
stories, which are of great artistic
value.
"Soviet composer Dmitri Pokrass
is touring now the Jewish Autono-
mous Region together with his or-
chestra, which he has been heading
for many years. Everywhere the
orchestra performed to packed
houses. All the numbers on the
program enjoy success, especially
the musical dramatic composition
'I'm a Man of the 20th Century.' "

29, 1968 15

have recognized from the outset
that assimilation is not the road
for the healthy evelopment of a
multiracial society. Assimilation
is the dissolution of traditional cul-
tures of minorities who are re-
quired to take on the culture of the
majority. Furthermore, we believe
that pressure-cooker methods of
racial integration would boomer-
ang to the prejudice of interracial
harmony."
The efforts of the Singapore
government were directed to
ward strengthening the cultures
of minorities and majority
"much as one builds strong indi-
vidual pillars to make a common
national roof." Four language
streams of instruction were pro-
vided in the school system.
Marshall said that the prime
minister of Singapore had re-
peatedly likened the position of
Singapore to that of Israel. "You
may be interested to learn that
the Singapore government is in-
debted to Israel for very signi,-
cant assistance in the second-
ment of Israeli officers and civil
servants to help build our army,
navy, air force and our inter-
racial civilian community cen-
ters," he said.
Rose L. Halprin, chairman of the
American Section, presided at the
seminar. The American Section
consists of 15 affiliated national
Jewish organizations representing
a total membership of over one
million.
The WJC's affiliates in Southeast
Asia and the Far East include the
Jewish communities of Burma,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Ja-
pan, the Philippines and Thailand.

Vouh glaticlay
9 41-

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Friday, November

Elie Wiesel Gets
'68 'Prix Medicis'

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

PARIS—Author Elie Wiesel of
New York, a survivor of Auschwitz
who has written extensively on the
Nazi holocaust and its aftermath,
Monday received one of France's
highest literary awards, the 1968
"Prix Medicis."
The award was made for his
latest novel, "The Beggar of Jeru-
salem," set in Jerusalem during
the June 1967 Six-Day War.
Wiesel, who lived in France until
deportation to Auschwitz, writes
in French. His previous works in-
clude "Night," "Dawn," "Day"
and "The Jews of Silence," among
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