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Why Jewish Apologists Dance to-thAtinei3;•Eollet-
Bears in Carrying False Testimony to International
Parley .. Notable Study in Anti-Zionist Ideology
,
DY PniliP
Slornovitz
Our today
dispute
them upon
took
on ous that I have ever heard from
the
better
not with
to touch
Russia's public relations men are certainly on the spot, and they are pulling lots of details
Mirsky's lips. The man had learned
of their actions.
nothing, not even from his own
blunders. They have turned their artists into propagandists, the apologetics forced from their
Jewish citizens in attacks on Zionism and Israel just don't sound so authentic and give evid-
ence of blackmail on the home front, and use of the Jewish Defense League as a -scapegoat is
turning into a rather silly witch hunt.
The funny things that are happening on the roads to and from the Kremlin are emer-
ging as comedies. They happen to spell tragedy for many Russian Jews, but from the stand-
point of realities they are really funny. -
That euphemism for anti-Semitism—the resort to the term Zionism as if a great and yery
secret plot is being hatched against the Soviet regime — is real satire. The holier-than-thou
Communists suddenly have become the bedfellows of Gerald L. K. Smith the anti-Semite,
King Faisal Abdul Aziz ibn Abdul Rahman al-Faisal al-Saud, the ruler of a kingdom that may
still be countenancing slavery, and of every element for whom the term Jew, linked with
Zionism and Israel, is anathema.
Here are equations to indicate how the anti-Zionist forces labor in spreading the anti-
Jewish gospel. Note the contrast in the two quotations and how the anti-I sr a el aims can
make a brotherhood of the Kremlin and the desert royalist:
Pravda (sic r—Truth), the official Communist
Eric Pace, reporting to the New York Times
from Jidda. Saudi Arabia, quoted King Faisal as Party organ in Russia, keeps charging that all
having told an audience of Moslem notables re- subversive activities in Communist countries are
carried on by Zionists; the title of an article in
cently:
"Dear brothers, who are the leaders of Corn- Pravda read "Anti-Sovietism is the Profession of
munism, who sponsored its doctrines and assumed Zionism;" Zionism is charged with responsibility
its responsibilities in the world? They are all for the lberal regime in Czechoslovakia before the
Zionists who endeavor to destroy humanity in order Russians sent their tanks to take over; Zionism has
to realize their aspirations for the domination of been branded in the RUssian press as Ku Kluxism
the world." and Nazism.
It's an amazing story, as fantastic as the crude libel called Protocols of the Elders of
Zion; as much fantasy as the blood libel which gained Russian endorsements in the Ukraine
even in Communist-ruled areas and as echoes in Moslem countries; as puzzling as the fear that
is being injected in the hearts of Russian citizens about the handful of Jews who are por-
trayed as menacing the entire world.
Yes, there are fears, else the few Jews who have been sent to the world conference to
review the status of Russian Jewry in Brussels as anti Israel-anti-Zionist advocates would not
be there.
And this new front of Jews who serve their Kremlin masters by carrying messages of
hate and suspicion and as false witnesses against their fellow men reminds us of a similar
experience more than a decade ago.
It was at the World Jewish Congress sessions in Stockholm in 1959. We were there,
as delegates from Detroit with Rabbi Leon Fram, Emma Schaver and her son Itzhak, her hus-
band, the late Morris Schaver, Goldie Adler and her husband, the late Rabbi Morris Adler. As
a worldwide democratic movement, the WJCongress -invited representatives from all Jewish
communities, and those from Communist countries were especially urged to join with their
fellow Jews in evaluating the Jewish position. Three came from Polan d. The Folkstimme
Editor Smoliar (hot related to our columnist Boris Smolar) was one of them. We do not recall
the name of another of the trio which included Michael Mirsky. Around him there now devel-
ops an interesting tale revealing the minds of Communists.
Michael Mirsky also was an editor of the Communist Yiddish newspaper Folkstimme
of Warsaw. The Gomulka regime expelled him from Poland. He is now in Israel. He was inter-
viewed by an old ideological foe, Mark Gefen, now secretary of the editorial board of the left-
wing Hebrew daily Al Hamishmar, who until 1950 was editor of the last Zionist-oriented
newspaper in Poland, Mosty (Bridges). Apparently Mirsky had not learned much from his ex-
geriences under communism, and the story of ideological blindness is related in the follow-
ing article Mark Gefen wrote to describe his anti-Zionist antagonist:
sky was not just a protagonist of for "clarification" to the press
By MARK GEFEN
the Communist regime. He was office of the Polish Prime Minis-
When we sat with Michael Mir- also the ideologist of the Jewish ter's Office, where I was informed
sky in our editorial offices in Tel community in Poland. It was he by the head of the press depart-
Aviv the other day, I was inclined who had propounded the theory ment. Anthony Bida (subsequently
to regard the meeting as a sort about the possibility of the Jewish Polish Ambassador to Israel) that
of belated summation of a 20- community not only being able it had been decided to stop the
year-old dispute. Although we but having to continue existing in allocation of newsprint to our pa-
could claim satisfaction at the fact Poland, despite the gruesome per. That was an open hint of their
that we proved to be . in the right, memories of the holocaust. He intentions to suspend publication of
and by we. I have in mind the vehemently combatted anyone who the paper which was devoted main-
"Shomer Hatzair" in Poland in expressed doubts as to the possi- ly to Israel -affairs. When I tried
the postwar years and the Zionist bility or advisability of rebuilding to explain the idea of "Bridges"
movement as a whole, It was none- Jewish life in the country that had to him, he came out with the over-
theless a very sad and tragic sum- become the vastest cemetery in simplified reasons which were so
mation for two reasons. It was sad human history.
common in those days: "Surely.
to see a man who had devoted his
you will agree that here in Poland
whole life to a world which now Our Error
we are building a orogressive so-
spewed him out so unceremonious-
But we, too, had erred. We had cialist country, and whoever ad-
ly and unscrupulously, without erred in our simple-hearted belief vocates aliya to Israel is a mere
heed to his merits. It was doubly that the new regime was intent on reactionary because he preaches
sad to realize that that man, full building a new life based on jus- the foresaking of a socialist front
of bitterness though he was about tice and equality, desirous of re- and an escape to a capitalist coun-
the present Polish regime, was moving all the ills of the past and try."
still incapable of drawing the only of respecting human rights. How-
possible conclusion from his own ever, we were only 50 per cent Discomfiting Reply
It was not hard to argue with
experiences, and was trying in the wrong. We were right in the fact
evening of his life to build up that our face was always turned Bida; he was a man of integrity
again a ladder of new illusions. to Israel, in which alone we saw a and understanding. I asked him
He remained the same tragic fig- future for the whole of Polish Jew- whether before the war he would
ure of the Wandering Jew.
ry, although we deluded ourselves have called upon the Poles to
into thinking that we had to build leave their homeland and to cross
Communist Ideologist
between that better and over to Soviet Russia just because
One needed a great stretch of bridges
Poland was not Communist. His
imagination to visualize 30 years more progressive Poland and be- reply which was entirely unex-
Israel. the homeland of the
ago that a day would come when tween
pected: "Why should we argue
we could be sitting together with Jewish people. The name of our about this? What I said to you is
was "Mosty" (Bridges),
Mirsky in the editorial offices of a paper
expressed by our Jewish comrades
Hebrew and Zionist newspaper in which symbolized that aspiration. who surely have a better under-
Tel Aviv, and hear from him such Very soon, however, it became standing of things . . . "
trenchant- attacks on the sins of clear that the other side was not
"The Jewish Comrades" were
the Communist regime in Poland interested in such bridges. Our
and the Soviet Union. But it must newspaper was closed down on the Jewish Communists headed by
order
of
the
authorities
in
1950,
Mirsky. He and his colleagues
M.
be said that Mirsky was not the
first and most certainly will not and all activities of the Zionist made an all-out effort to curb the
movement
were
proscribed.
What
desire
for aliya on the part of the
be the last to express disappoint-
Jews. In ally& they saw a rejec-
ment with the dominant Moscow were the reasons?
tion
of
their dream about contin-
I recall how, before going on
line in the whole of the Eastern
Bloc. In thosadays; however, Mir- . aliya to Israel, I was summoned ued Jewish life in Poland, and they
did everything in their power to
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS stop the ally& movement. It were
2 — Friday, Forgery 26, 1971
Distortion of History
tragedy. If Mirsky had told us that
he had come to Israel in order to
much wider proportions, however. join the Wilner Group (Wilner is
One of their most serious attempts the head of the New Communist
was to distort the history of the faction), I would have accepted his
Jewish revolt in the time of the statement with somewhat less ran-
Holocaust. Time and again the his- cour, not because I prefer Wilner
tory of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt to Dubcek; only because Wilner-
used to be rewritten and each time yes, even Wilner—means living in
the Zionist share in that revolt Israel. Whoever regards himself
used to be whittled down until in as "of the Dubcek Party" like Mir-
later years the Jewish national sky, and whoever purports to
character of the revolt was almost build a bridge between ourselves
entirely obliterated and transform- and the followers of Dubcek is
ed into part and parcel of the but a wandering Jew, who fails to
Polish Communist struggle.
find his homeland even when Go-
In that phase of the struggle our mulka tells him: "You're a Jew,
situation was particularly difficult so clear out of Communist Po-
owing to the role played by the land !"
Jewish Communists. Mirsky does Learnt Nothing
not admit this now, and recalls the
fact that he had once spoken from No, I'm not out to settle my ac-
the platform of the World Jewish count with Michael Mirsky be-
Congress in favor of the establish- cause here in Israel we're not in
ment of a Jewish state. That may the habit of prying into the past
possibly have been true becadse of the Jews who come here. We
the official Communist line was have among us people who were
then binding also upon the Jewish members of the "Bund," people
Communists.
who throughout their life had
Let us leave that to history, how- fought against Zionism and Eretz
ever. We do not expect Mirsky to Israel; we have living here many
admit his errors or to do penance. Communist key workers who
That is a chapter belonging to the fought against us in their respec-
past and facts have borne out the tive countries. No one pries into
justice of those who clamoured for their past and no one asks them
the aliya of the Jews to Israel. any discomfitting questions. But
Mirsky expects us to begin believ-
Tragic Figure
No less tragic or at least sur- ing once again in that illusory
world
in is
which,
not important
the Jewish
prising is Mirsky of the year 1971. question
the most
for
In the course of our talk he
espoused our motto of the year him, but the redemption of man-
1950 about building bridges. He has kind. We had engaged in that far
remained a Communist. In his too much in the past, and it's a
opinion neither Kosygin nor Go- pity that Mirsky is not prepared in
mulka nor Husak are true Com- the light of his own personal ex-
munists. "I am of the Dubcek perience (Woe to that light !) to
party," he confessed, and this con- allow humanity at long last to find
fession was perhaps the most-seri rest and well-being in Israel.
•
A
•
I
Because those who dance to the tunes intended for the -Ruasian -
bear from Communist headquarters seem never to learn the lessons
of history, this report on the attitude of an expelled Communist by
one who knew him well and now learns to know him even better is
most important.
It is a reminder of attitudes that were perpetuated by men like
the late Isaac Deutscher who, as a Communist ideologist, in his latter
years, having studied conditions in Israel, and having learned the
lessons of the Holocaust, DID admit that if he had not opposed Zionism
large numbers of Nazi victims would be alive today.
But under pressure from the Soviet bosses some ,Jews nevertheless
still are playing their game of hiding facts, of interfering with the
right of Jews who wish to go to Israel. They seek to leave an im-
pression that the Jews who dare challenge the Russian restrictions
are few, but these few have the courage to speak out, to give their
names and addresses, to assert basic rights to emigration in accord-
ance with international principles that have been adopted by the
United Nations.
Out of Brussels, where there is the threat of a confrontation be-
tween Jews who have left Russia and who are supporting the right of
emigration, may be challenged by the tools of the Kremlin. That is
all to the good because out of it will emerge, from the international
conference on Russia, the truth about the discriminations and the
determination that even the powerful Russian bear now clothed in
Communist garb, can not stand in the way of freedom for its Jewish
citizens and their right to defend the position of Israel as a Jewish
state.
Druze Children in Modern School
These lively Drime toddlers are attending 5 Pioneer Women
nursery school in their village of Daliyat-El-Ha-Cartnel, in the hills
above Haifa, Israel. Pioneer Women recently opened a day care
teeter for the children of mothers working ht a nearby pantyhose
faetery—aukiag two firsts for the village of Dallyat: Dram women
wielding outside their homes and Dense children being cared bar in
a modern nursery sehooL