18—Friday, February 7, 1969 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Boris Smolar's 'Between You and Me ... (Copyright 1969, JTA Inc.) JEWISH CULTURE IN USSR: American Jewish tourists, when they come to Moscow, make it their business to visit the Central Synagogue, the only Jewish institution known to them. There is, however, another Jewish institution in the Soviet capital, a cultural institution, in fact the only Jewish cultural institution existing in the Soviet Union. This is—the Yiddish-language monthly magazine, Sovietish Heimland, a literary publication officially issued as the "Organ of the Association of Soviet Writers." The Association is not a Jewish body, but it has Jewish writers among its members. It was chosen by the Soviet government as pub- lisher of Sovietish Heimland because there is no Jewish group to whom the government could have entrusted this task. The publication of this only printed word in Yiddish was permitted in 1960, about 12 years after the liquidation by the Stalin regime of the entire organized Jewish cul- tural life in the country, when all Jewish cultural institutions were liquidated and more than 220 Jewish writers and intellectuals were executed or sent to their death in Siberia. In the interval, no Jewish cultural life existed in the Soviet Union. I sat in the office of Aron Vergelis, editor of the Sovietish Heimland, a trusted Jewish Communist, and discussed with him the status of Jewish culture in the USSR today. His magazine today is the only Jew- ish publication in the Soviet Union. Why such limitation? Why has Jewish cultural life still not been restored fully to what it had been prior to the days of its brutal liquidation by Stalin? Why no public lectures in Yid- dish? Why no courses in Yiddish for those who may want them? Why are there no Yiddish textbooks? Why have these Yiddish state theaters, which were liquidated by Stalin, not been reopened so many years after Stalin's death? Why is Jewish culture not given the same treatment which all other national minorities in the country enjoy? * * YIDDISH LITERATURE: Vergelis tried to explain to me that there is no interest in Yiddish culture today among Soviet Jews comparable to what it was in the early years of the Communist regime, when there were hundreds of Yiddish state schools, three daily Yiddish newspapers, several Yiddish state theaters. He attributed the decrease in interest partly to the fact that after the liquidaion by Stalin of Jewish cultural life, there was a vacuum for many years during which Yiddish was replaced by the Russian language even among Yiddish-speaking Jews. He also claimed that Jewish youth wants to have its education in the language of the country and is completely ignorant of Yiddish culture. He told me that his magazine is printed in 25,000 copies and proudly cited the names of a number of high Soviet Jewish officials who sub- scribe to it. These, however, are all people above the age of 50. I reminded him that the Soviet census of 1960 showed that 472,000 Soviet Jewish citizens—more than 20 per cent of the recorded Jewish popula- tion in the USSR in that census—listed Yiddish as their mother tongue. "They are certainly entitled to more cultural attention than the publica- tion of your literary monthly," I pointed out. Sovietish Heimland, although being a Communist-oriented publica- tion, seems to be drifting more and more toward the publishing of novels and poetry which are not saturated with Communist propaganda. Some of them are of high literary quality, written by a generation of younger Jewish writers whom the magazine seeks to encourage. One can also find in the magazine selected items about Jewish literary events within the country and abroad. Vergelis drew my attention to the fact that a Russian-Yiddish dic- tionary is now in preparation by the Soviet Jewish philologist, Moshe Shapiro, and will be published soon, and a Yiddish grammar book as well. He pointed out that a`)out a half-dozen Yiddish books—by living Soviet Jewish authors as well as by men killed by Stalin—have appeared during the last year, and can be found in all Soviet bookstores. Four of these books (by Z. Wendroff, Peretz Markish, Leib Kvitko, Moshe Teif) I actually saw displayed prominently in two Moscow bookshops spe- cializing in books written in national minority languages. All this is, of course, a welcome sign showing literature in Yiddish is beginning to find its way again in the Soviet Union. But this is not enough, considering the number of Jews who declared Yiddish to be their mother tongue in the 1960 census. * * JEWISH THEATER: The greatest spiritual hunger felt among Jews in the Soviet Union is for the Jewish theater and for Yiddish concerts. Concerts by Jewish singers are given from time to time in Moscow, Leningrad and other large cities, and they take place in the largest halls. They are always crowded. Tickets to such concerts are always sold out many days in advance. The programs of these concerts are mostly of Jewish folksongs of the pre-revolutionary years. They strike a nostalgic chord in the hearts of older Jews as well as a sentimental chord among the younger Jews. Jewish songs are so popular in the Soviet Union that Soviet opera singers include them in their concert programs. They draw tremendous applause. American singers, like Jan Peerce and others, when they give concerts in Moscow, never fail to include a few popular Jewish songs, to the delight of the audience which greets them with longlasting, en- thusiastic applause. At such concerts, one can feel that the Jewish spirit is still strongly alive among Jews in Russia, assimilated or not. Jews in the Soviet Union are also hungry for performances in Yiddish on the stage. There are a few wandering Jewish amateur groups which travel from city to city, performing Jewish plays in a primitive way. But there is no Jewish state theater like those that existed in Moscow, Kiev and other large cities prior to Stalin's liquida- tion of Jewish culture. I was informed in Moscow that a group of 23 young Jewish artists have been selected and are now being trained under the directorship of Benjamin Schwartzer, a veteran Jewish actor, with a view to eventually establish a permanent Jewish theater in the Soviet capital. The theater, I was told, will be named either after Sholem Aleichem, the great Jew- ish writer who died in New York, or after Solomon Mikhoels, the great Soviet Yiddish actor who was killed by Stalin. However, this seems to be a long-term project which could not materialize before a year or two because of the length of the training the young actors require. Time will show whether this project will be carried out and to what extent the Soviet government will be interested in promoting it. Veterans Charge De Gaulle Plotted WASHINGTON—The Jewish War Veterans of the United States char- acterized Charles de Gaulle as having "plotted to assist in the destruction of Israel" as early as three days before the Six Day War. In a statement issued subsequent to the Jewish War Veterans an- nouncement that it was organizing a nationwide boycott against French goods and services, Na- tional Commander Charles Feue- reisen pointed out "that the French government decided to withhold delivery of Mirage planes ordered by Israel on June 3, 1967, three days before the Six-Day War, after the closing of the Gulf of Aqaba, Everybody is ignorant, only on —Will Rogers different subjects. to Destroy Israel after the United Nations emer- gency forces had been withdrawn at the insistence of the Egyptian President, and before a shot was fired." According to COmmander Feue- reisen, French officials have been 4:ag . got . falsely alleging that the plane em- bargo was imposed after the com- mencement of the June 1967 hostili- ties. SPACE YET AVAILABLE ON SIDNEY HILL CRUISE pgv aa ct: . AI rpC 00 0rt. SOUTH SEAS IN MIAMI BEACH YOUR LOCATION FOR A MARCH 7th SUN 'N FUN VACATION . DAILY Mar. 22-Apr. 3 - per pers. dble. am 25 of 117 rims. $11• Mar. 842 KITCHENETTES AVAILABLE $e 1751 at DI 1-9616 Collins Ave., Miami Beach The Air-Conditioned $499" CALL MARK MARCUS Under 1.1.AAd Waldman RESERVE Now PASSOven Supervision HOTEL STRICTLY KOSHER CUISINE Only GLATT MEATS Served In the WALDMAN Manner Seville TRULY MIAMI BEACH'S FINEST RESORT HOTEL See your travel Agent or umte direct. daily per person, double oc- cupancy, Mar. 9 to Mar. 30 •20 of 133 rooms INCLUDING MEALS Write Direct or Call DETROIT OFFICE 548-1793 ^.. Private Beach, Peel Cabana Club, 21^ TV In Every Room Ws always "SHOW TIME" at WALDMAN'a OCEANFRONT AT 43rd STREET. MIAMI BEACH Cantor VICTOR GELS will conduct SEDER and Holiday Synagogue Services OCEAN AT 30th ST., MIAMI BEACH:: The KOSHER HOTEL of the Year! SCHECHTER & HIRSCH'S The Air Conditioned and Heated t • • inique 410 ZeFffE 0 GLATT KOSHER HOTEL •ntim Oceanfront 8lock•31th to 38th St. MIAMI BEACH, FLA. 116 *daily per person, Ole oCc. •55•of 157 rooms Jan. 5 to Jan. 19 INCLUDING MEALS •DIAL MIAMI BEACH FREE! For Reservations Call 800-327-8165 Or Write For FREE Color Brochure HOTEL. POOL CABANA COLONY EVERY ROOM WITH A WATERFRONT VIEW Vast Private Beach • Olympic Pool • Solaria •FREE 21" TV in All Rooms •Music • Dancing and Entertainment •DAILY SERVICES IN OUR OWN SYNAGOGUE •Ample Parking Facilities SERVING 3 MEALS DAILY MKT DIEFARY LAWS OBSERVED CONSTANE RABBINICAL SUPERVISION Masheach an Premises I Reserve Now For PASSOVER Services And Seduri Conducted M PROMINENT CANTORR and CHOIR Hilda & Bernie Wieder Owner Mgmt. See Your TRAVEL AGENT OR PHONE reirg 305-866-5711 Summertime Hilda & Bernie Winder's ADLER NOM. Stan. Metals, ET. ON THE OCEAN AT 114th STREET, MIAMI BEACH e• Biggest choice of jets, most jet seats to Miami. Delta's ready when you are! For information and instant reservations via Deltamatico, call Delta at WO 5-3000 or see your Travel Agent.