USSR Issues Report Outlining Russian Jews' Status 6-Friday,

yrm

The'
WASHINGTON t
Soviet Embassy released what may '
to the most comprehensive coin ;
pilation of purported data on So-
viet Jewry ever to conic from the
Soviet propaganda apparatus. The
study of Soviet Jewry. titled "So-
viet Jews As They Are," was pre-
pared by the Novosti Press Agen-
cy, Russia's external propaganda
organization. It is intended for
publication in the United States
and Western Europe. The• study
appeared to he an effort by Soviet
authorities to answer r i s i n g
charges of anti-Semitism. It de-
tailed Czarist anti-Semitism, but it
omitted any mention of Stalinist
atrocities against Jews and more'
recent anti-Jewish actions by the
Soviet government. The study in-
cluded a detailed report on the
current Jewish population of the
USSR and demographic data. A
projection based on the forthcom-
ing 1970 census indicated a total
Jewish population of about. three
million.
Novosti said that had it not
been for World War It. "the Jew-
ich pomdation would have been
no less than four million. About
two million Jews were annihilated
on USSR territory temporarily oc-
cupied by the Nazis . . The num-
ber of victims would have been
greater if the Soviet authorities
had not taken timely and ener-
getic measures to evacuate the
population in areas adjacent to
the front . . . About two million
citizens of Jewish nationality were
evacuated deep into the Soviet
rear," Novosti said.

The study traced I enin's ef-
forts for equality for Jews. But
it quoted Lenin as stating that
"this Zionist idea is absolutely
false and reactionary in its es-
sence." It was alleged that Zion-
ism and Jewish nationhood
merely perpetuated a "ghetto
spirit" whit ,. Jews were truly
liberated by Communism.

Surveying the vocational achieve-
ments of Jews. Novosti said that
to all
Jews made contributions
branches of the Soviet economy
The so-called Jewish callings ha y e
long since gone out of existence "
the agency stated. It listed among
such callings tailoring. medicine
and law and asserted that Jews
have now achieved prominence
across the broad snectrum of vo-
cations. Novosti emphasized that
there was a disproportionally large
number of Jews, per capita. in
scientific pursuits as compared
with the general emulation. In the
total of scientific workers. Jews
ranked third after Russians and
Ukrainians although Jews are far
fewer in numbers and comprise
only 12 percent of the ceneral
population. Novosti said. The lat-
est figu r e s available 1967)
showed at least 58,952 Jews in
scientific professions, it said.

The Noyosti study contained long
lists of Jews in executive positions
in industries. government and mili-
tary sere-ies. "There are about
8.000 Jews ,who are deputies to
the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
and of the Union of Republics. as
well as local Soviet," it said. It
sought to debunk charges that
Jews were not given equal educa-
tional opnortunities.

According to Novosti, there
are 315 Jewish college students
to every
10,000 Jews in the

General Zionists Urged
to Further Membership

NEW YORK (ZINS)—Dr. Em-
anuel Neuman, president of the
World Union of General Zionists
and chairman of the American
Section of the Jewish Agency, has
issued a call to all national or-
ganizations of thee Zionist move-
ment to strengthen their member-
ship and to make adequate prepar-
ations for the forthcoming Zionist
Congress.

The last meeting of the Zionist
Actions Committee decided that
representation to the forthcoming
World Zionist Congress
28th
would he strictly on the basis of
democratic vote.

country. There are only 182 non-
Jews in college for every 10,-
000 non-Jews, the report said.
Novosti explained that Jews at-
tended college in greater num-
bers because Jews tended to live
in urban centers. Novosti also
listed Jewish writers, artists,
musicians and others distin-
guished in Soviet cultural life.

Novosti went to some length to
try to refute charges that Jewish
cultural and religious life was sup-
pressed in Russia. It mentioned
the Yiddish monthly. Sovietish
Heimland, and claimed that a Yid-
dish drama ensemble in Moscow
and various musical corn9anies of-
fered Yiddish entertainment. It
said that many books were pub-
lished in Yiddish in 1968 and 1969
and listed the names of their au-
t' - ors. At least 50,000 Jews were
said to attend Yiddish cultural
programs every year.
Novosti said that "about 100
synagogues" are functioning in the
Soviet Union and that 300 - minyans
are known to pray regularly in va-
rious places. Novosti also claimed
that a yeshiva was attached to the
main synagogue in Moscow to train
rabbis and ritual slaughterers. It
added however. "it should be re-
membered that most people in the
Soviet Union have long turned
away from religion . . Jews are
no exception." •

Novosti said there was "no
official registration of believers"
in the USSR. But selective so-
ciological investigation h a s
shown that the number of Jew-
ish believers in the territory of
the Russian Federation and the
Ukraine is between 3 and 6 per
cent o f the total; 5 to 9 per cent

in the Baltic Republics (Lithu-
ania, r.atvia and Estoina): be-
tween 7 and 12 per cent among
the north Caucasus and Bukhara
Jews. The overwhelming ma-
jority of these are elderly peo-
ple, Novosto said. It said that
Jews "have every opportunity to
practice religion" and maintain-
that "synagogue libraries have
collections of books on religion
running into thousands." -

Commenting on the assimilation
of Jews. Novosti said "this is not
a specifically Soviet phenomena."
It said there was a reduction in
numbers o persons who regard
Yiddish as their native tongue.
Novosti observed that "hardly
more than 20 per cent of the Jews
in the United States consider Yid-
dish their native language." It
said that "in the Soviet Union.
the process of natural assimilation
is taking place among many peo-
ples. -

High honors bestowed on Jews
were listed as disproportionately !„
high. The highest honor, the title is
of Hero of Socialist Labor, was
conferred on 55 Jews, four of
whom won the order twice. three
winning it three times. Of the 844
winners of Lenin Prizes, 96 were
Jews, Novosti said. It noted that
the city of Sverdlovsk was named
for a Jew and that there were -
many streets in Soviet cities named
for Jews. and that many Soviet
ships sailing the seas bear the
names of distinguished Jews. No-
vosti e x pressed the hope that "the
facts and figures cited in the pre-
sent article show how far from
reality is the gloomy picture usual-
ly drawn by Western bourgeois
propagandists."

November 7, 1969

ISRAEL
"EASY ON THE POCKET
WINTER RECESS TOURS

(Many other dotes available)
Includes: dirfare, first-Cass hotels with private facilities, 7 days
sightseeing. transfers, porterage, 7 nights entertainment.
(Add $15 for Israeli breakfast, $25 for lunch or dinner)
Student and teacher groups now being organized

NEW GROU P

IRV KATZ

at

McDonald Ford

14240 W. 7 Mile Road at the Lodge X-Way
DI 1-3800

$535 00

351 Days In
Israel. Jan. 1 4
to Dec. 31,
,
1970

Write, Visit or Call

HISTADRUT TOURS

19350 Greenfield, Detroit, Mich. 48235
Tel. UN 4-7094

Ilistadrest

Through HISTADRUT
you come to ISRAEL as a guest
—not a tourist

ALL HISTADRUT TOURS INCLUDE:
1. Air round trip jet economy, via EL AL
2. Evening of ENTERAINMENT. (Theatre, concert or
folklore dancing)
3. Round trip transfers airports, hotels.
4. Accommodations in First Class hotels in Israel, with
private bath, including service charges.
5. Sightseeing by DeLuxe motorcoach.
6. Admission fees and porterage.

FIRST CLASS

FIRST CLASS

FIRST CLASS

10 Days—ISRAEL
Complete Package

15 Doys—ISRAEL
Complete Package

$405

$450

$499

FIRST CLASS

Extended Visits

ISRAEL & EUROPE
22 Days—
Complete Package

Flight Only
Available at

FIRST CLASS

Because they have

JAN. 11—JAN. 20 °
JAN. 25—FEB. 3
$405 all-inclusive

DEC. 21—DEC. 31
1
DEC. 22—Jan.
$429 all-inclusive

28

41120... hos a better Klee

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Days—ISRAEL

Complete

Package

$639

$559

22

Days—ISRAEL
Complete Package

$535 or

$499

DELUXE TOURS ALSO AVAILABLE

Larger selection of departure dates than ever before!

(Over 200 to choose from)

Write, Visit or Call

HISTADRUT TOURS
19350 Greenfield, Detroit, Mich. 48235
TEL. UN 4-7094

We the undersigned staff of the various Jewish Communal Agencies

wish to express our hope that the horrors and slaughter of the war in Vietnam be concluded through
an immediate cease fire. Our commitment to the Jewish traditions of Peace and the Sanctity of Human
Life prompts us to deplore the violence which has made a human sacrifice of so many innocents.

AMERICAN JEWISH
COMMITTEE
Mrs. Irving Kroll
Sherwood Sandweiss

AMERICAN JEWISH
CONGRESS
Joel Altus
Beverly Pouliot

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
Richard H. Lohenthal
Kathy Polkowski
Annette S. Ran
Evelyn Weinstein

FRESH AIR SOCIETY
Michael Klachefsky
Ruth Kossack
Sam Marcus
Sybil M. Meyers
Michael Zaks

JEWISH COMMUNITY
CENTER
Sharon Alterman
Paul Barton
Morris Binder
Stizi Butrimovitz
Dale Dobrusin
Ada Feldman

Rose L. Frank
Grace Galens
Libby Gales
Miriam Goldman
Regina Gross
Shirley Indenbaum
Harriet Lefko
Ronald F. Loeb
Goldie Maslen
Terry Mazzoni
Norma Rittman
Fred Rose
Edith Rosner
Edith S. Rudner
Betty Saulson
Amy Singer
Ralph Sirotkin
Ruth Slavin
Fran Sonne
Ronald Stocker
Laina Temchin
Trish Terrio
E. Tichauer
Virti Williams
Charles Wolfe

JEWISH COMMUNITY
COUNCIL

Harold Dubin
Alison Goldbaum
Evelyn Orbach

JEWISH FAMILY AND
CHILDREN'S SERVICE

Betty Barach
Annette Bechek
Regina Feuer
Arlene Goldberg
Natan Goldenberg
Frances Green
Ingrid Grossberg
Kathy Gruen
Florence Hoffman
David Hoptman
Ruth Hurshe
Ida Kost
Sybil Levy
Rachel Manela
Linda Margolin
Louise Marsch
Tova Milinsky
Betty Monhelt
Ellen Rackway
Marjorie Raskin
Mae Robins
Helen Samberg
Florence Segel
Roger Skully
Wilma Sugar

Alice Taran
Seema Tilles

Margaret Weiner
Lillian Weisberg
Agnes Werch
Geraldine Wineman

Marilyn Wineman
Miriam Wildstom

JEWISH VOCATIONAL
SERVICE—
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

Irvihg Feldman
Eugene Greenspan
Ada Z. Heavenrich
Ata Khalidi
Edward R. Mandell
Rita Raz
Ilene H. Rosen

Sylvia Tannenbaum
Edika Vogl

UNITED HEBREW SCHOOLS

Mary Anbender
Rabbi Jay Braverman
I. J. Goldstein
Minnie Levitt
Miriam Moss
Sarah Pedell
Lillian Rosinger
Esther Segal
Beatrice Shulman

We urge you to join us in a Memorial Service at Workmen Circle, 18340 W. Seven Mile
Friday, Nov. 14, between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Rd.,