Mikunis` RevelationsrTalks With Communist
Leaders About Israel and Jewish Issues
By MOSHE RON
convention in 1959," Mikunis re- printed. I know that you are not
Special Jewish News
lates. Suddenly Khrushchev stopped relations between the Soviet Union
Israel Correspondent
near me and called Ulbricht. Rela- and Israel. That's fine. We intend
TEL AVIV—The general-secre- tions between Ulbricht and myself to publish a Yiddish periodical. A
tary of the Communist Party Maki were never good. I have never troupe of Yiddish artists started
Shmuel Mikunis, took part in the visited Eastern Germany. Khrush- to perform. Something has been
last five conventions of the Russian chev, who was in high spirits, said done. I understand that all this
Communist Party. He was absent to Ulbricht: 'German, come here does not satisfy you yet . .
"Afterwards, the anthology of
from the 24th _convention. The and drink "Lechaim" with the
Russian party had broken off Jew.' It was at one o'clock past Hebrew poetry was published in
relations with Maki, owing to its midnight. We raised our glasses Russian," Mikunis said. "I had
"nationalistic attitude" after the and drank. I always felt that some- such trouble, I proposed transla-
thing pressed on Khrushchev re- tion of the poems by Bialik,
Six-Day War.
During the last five conven- garding the Jewish question. I Tchernichovsky, Smeur and otthers.
tions, Mikunis had several oppor- talked to him several times dur- They refused, arguing that these
tunities to meet leaders of Russian ing the interval of the convention. are Israeli and not Hebrew poets.
Communism, and he always I reminded him of our talk in We agreed only on Shlonsky, Pen,
broached the theme of the situation Bucharest. 'Did you hear how I Lamdan, he said. I explained to
of the Jews in Russia and aliya to attacked Nasser in my speech?' them that there could not be an
he asked me. 'I understand that anthology of Hebrew poems with-
Israel.
"It started in 1g52, when I your Jewish prayer book has been out these poets. At last they
agreed, but they examined every
represented Maki at the 19th con-
poem I suggested carefully and
vention of the Russian party,"
tried to reject some of them for
Mikunis told the correspondent of
one reason or another.
`Ma'ariv' Moshe Meisel& "It was
impossible then to approach Stalin
"Khrushchev did not forget my
The 13th annual LOCAL HIS- plea for family reunification,"
personally, so I sent a memoran-
dum to him. I asked him, why do T 0 R Y CONFERENCE: MICHI- Mikunis tells. "When the new So-
we not hear anything about Jew- GAN IN PERSPECTIVE, will be viet ambassador, Tschbahim, ar-
ish writers. what about a Jewish held today and Saturday at the rived in Israel after the 22nd Con-
theater, a Jewish newspaper, etc.? McGregor Memorial Conference gress of the Russian Communist
I did not receive any answer from Center at Wayne State University. Party, he invited me immediately
Stalin.
STANLEY KATZ, associate pro- and asked me how relations be-
"I visited Russia in 1957 on the fessor of history at the University tween our two countries could be
occasion of the 40th anniversary of Wisconsin, will speak on "Use improved. I proposed: First of all
of the Bolshevic revolution," of Local History Sources in the let the Soviet Jews have Matzot
Mikunis relates. "In my meetings Teaching of American History in for Passover. This has no connec-
with the leaders of the Russian Congress" at the luncheon sesion tion with religion. It is a memory
Communist Party, Kuasinen, Su- today. DAVID LEVINE, assistant of the wanderings of the Jews in
slov and Ponomarev, I stressed professor of history at WSU, and the desert before they came to
the need of a Yiddish journal. I John Chavis, professor of history this country. I: brought up again
told them there was discrimination at the University of Michigan, will the question, of family reunifica-
in this line, that if you wish to speak during an afternoon session tion. 'How many would you sug-
fight so-called nationalistic ten- devoted to urban history. Levine gest, -_Tschbahinh . -asked. I proposed
dencies, you have to publish such will discuss "Race Relations and 5,000 Jews a year ;to begin with
a periodical ; to open a Yiddish Social Control in Detroit, 1915- My, request was granted only two
yearS later. Then 2,506 _Jews came
theater and publish an anthology 1926."
to Israel in 19$5. .Th.fiumbers
of Hebrew poems in Russian.
"I also spoke about the question
Lane Bryant's department stores grew after 1985." •-s
of family reunification. You know downtown and at Oakland Mall and
Mikunis spoke 'abnut, the - liatd
quite well that in Israel there are Northland are displaying works by days of the Stalin *Ind - :1952:.:
many relatives of Russian Jews artist ROCCO LODISE, through "I wished to ,see the - sister of my
and they should be reunited. What Wednesday. Lodise, 30, is an assis- wife who lived a distance of 250
advantage will you have, if you tant professor of painting and de- kiloineters'.from
lgoscow. I felt
stop Jews from being reunited with sign at Saginaw Valley College. that they ,did not
want me to:-see
their families in Israel. I de- His paintings and sculpture will her. - A general secretary'-
of "a:
manded the printing of a Jewish be exhibited in the Franklin Siden Communist party should _ visit
prayer book. Why should an Amer- Gallery in the David Whitney
a little village„ they' said: I asicd,
ican tourist come to the synagogue Building, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. May if she could .
come to .Moscow. 'But
in Moscow and have to bring 1-22. The gallery is closed Sundays when I saw -
thg it would not cane
secretly a prayer book and give and Mondays.
off, I travelled to the village -
it to the Russian Jews, I asked.
* *
alone . . . "
Kuasinen listened to my words
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL Janu- "I had several talks with Mats-
and said: 'In principle you are
ary and June classes of 1941 will hall Voroshilov on the Jewish ques-
right. We shall examine your
hold a reunion 7 p.m. May 8 at the tion," Mikunis remembers. "He
wishes' . . .
Roostertail. For information, call had sympathy for the Jews and
During the same year Mikunis
Bud Schlain, 444-4140, or Ruth. Bas- Israel. In 1949 he said to me': in
had a talk with the Chinese Com-
sin Stein, 861-3020. Sofia: 'You are surrounded by
munist leader, Mao Tse-Tune, at
* enemies. You must be prepared
the first World convention of the
BARRY BATCHKO, a national- for everything. Without consider-
Communist parties. "I asked him
to impress on the Russian leaders ly-exhibited young artist will have ing the regime in Israel, we shall
to allow Jewish cultural activities his recent works exhibited at the help you . . . ' Once I brought up
the question of aliya to Israel. I
in the Soviet Union. I said this AAA Gallery, April 18-May 17.
quoted Gromyko. A great part of
delicate question creates problems
The LEDERLE PLAYERS of the Russian Jews tied up its fate
which must be solved," Mikunis
said. "Mao promised to intervene. E. J. Lederle Elementary and with that of Eretz Israel. Also on
Afterwards, I heard that he had Junior High School, Southfield, will this question Voroshilov showed
had a long talk with ,Khrushchev present the play "Flowers for Al- understanding."
And what about Kaganovitch?
about this question.
gernon," 8 p.m. April 28-29 and
"In 1960, I took part in the con- 8:30 p.m. April 30. at the school. "He was alright," Mikunis an-
vention of the Romanian Com- Tickets will be sold at the door. swered. "Once, when I started one
of my speeches as a rule in He-
munist Party in B u c h a r es t," , Proceeds go to Lederle.
brew and continued in Russian,
Mikunis remembers. "I was wait-1
ing with leaders of 50 Communist Ben-Gurion Helps Launch Kaganovitch approached me and
said: 'I understand every word
parties at Bucharest Airport for
the arrival of Khrushchev. He pit JNF Negev Road Project you said. You should know that if
off the plane, went from one repre-
SDE BOKER—Sporting a bright it were not for Stalin, there would
sentative to the other and shook yellow construction helmet, David not have been any Russian help
hands. When he approached me. Ben-Gurion presse - the button de- ,for I s r a e 1. This was Stalin's
lie stopped surprisingly and had tonating the firs. explosives sym- meshugass.' But what about the
a chat with me for 20 minutes. He bolizing the beginning of work on policy of neutralism of your Ben-
tried to explain that there is no a new road in the Negev. Gurion? He turns more and more
Jewish problem in the Soviet
The road, ..-rhich is being built toward America . .
Union. If there is one at all, it is
by the Jewish National Fund;
At the end of 1966, Mikunis met
„only a social question. You know j will connea the settlements of .Alexander Shelepin at the dacha of
very well, Nikita Sergeyevic-1
Sde Boker, Mash'abbe Sade and
Kisslovock. The secretary of the
said to him—that there is such
Revivim, shortening the distance
Republic of Dhagistan, Danielov,
a question and it is a national !, between the villages by 15 miles. was there. "I did not know that he
problem. 'I have more friends ! JNF Chairman Jacob Tsur said was a Jew," Mikunis remembers.
among the Jewish people than cer- i that studies are being undertaken "He told me, that when recently
tain Israeli leaders have among 1 to determine the possibility of es- the Folklore Troupe of Dhagistan
the Soviet people,' Khrushchev re-; tablishing a fourth settlement along left for Cairo. the name of the
torted. You would have even more the new road.
Jewish manager of the troupe, Is-
friends among the Jewish people
Abraham Hartzfeld, Israel's pio- j raelov, was changed on his pass-
if you would satisfy the cultural I neer leader in settlement, asked port to Ismailov, in order that he
needs of Russian Jewry without the JNF to make special efforts to could enter Egypt. One day Shele-
discrimination, I said.
speed up work so that the road Pin arrived. He took interest in
"I remember the. reception in will be completed on Ben-Gurion's the situation in Israel and in the
the Kremlin after the 21st party 85th birthday
Middle East. T told him my im-
'
pression was that the period of
32—Friday, Aorgik- 1971.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS j thaw had passed. 1 said that our
Brevities
l
I
..
foreign minister, Eban, had pro-
posed a Tashkent spirit also for
the Near East but the Russians
had not responded to his offer.
I told him: You have promised to
be neutral.
"It was after the 23rd confer-
ence of the Soviet Communist
Party in 1966," Mikunis added. "It
was after the split in Maki. I felt
a changed atmosphere at every
step, an orientation on the Arab
world. I preferred not to bring
up the Jewish question this time.
When a reception was given in
the Kremlin after the conference,
Breshnev approached me and
asked: 'How is business, Mikunis?'
I answered him with a sour face
and a Russian proverb: Like
white soot . . .
"Once the Jewish poet, Vergelis,
asked me to talk to Khrushchev
and Suslov to allocate him a
budget and paper for the publica-
tion of the Yiddish periodical
Sovietisch Heimland. I spoke to
them and Khrushchev granted the
request. I know the Jewish gen-
eral, Dragunsky, very well. He
was recently sent by the Soviet
authorities to Brussels to make
propaganda against the Jewish
World Congress for Russian Jewry.
I spoke with him several times.
He is a good Jew from a small
village. When he talked with me
alone, he spoke quite differently
than he did in Brussels .. . "
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